not Michaelangelo

in which our plucky heroine is awake much too early...

The sun rises well before 6am. It really is time for the mylar window fill in the eastmost window. And time to finally remember to contact the awning company and ask for a copy of the installation instructions, to get a sense of how difficult it might be to add those outside the east and west windows.

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Wednesday night I filled the anchor screw holes in the kitchen ceiling with rolled and glued paper, and just before bedtime put on the first layer of spackle so it would dry overnight. The next morning I smoothed that with a damp sponge, and added a thin second coat. Once that dried, I added a bit of primer over those spots, and it is ready to paint the large central circle. I realised when up on the step ladder that the "rectangle" is not actually a missing layer of paint, but just a sort of dirty discoloration; when I used the sponge to smooth the spackle, some of the grey came away on the sponge! I cleaned the circular area, once I primed the spackle, and before painting.

After looking over the Metro Paint I have on hand, I was glad to see I had a pail full of "Mountain Snow" which is basically either white or off white, and will be just right for the task. After lunch, I brushed in the first layers of paint. First a sort of primer coat over the central rectangle and spackle spots, then carefully freehand painting along the circular line I penciled in. The ceiling already looks a lot better. I think one more coat of the white paint will be all that is needed.

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I really like that we have a municipal paint recycling facility that makes the resulting paint available and affordable. Consequently I have quite a few different color gallons, acquired at random over time, tucked into in the storage cupboard here:

"Missisippi Mud" (dark brown)
"Lambs Ear" (almost duck egg blue)
"Storm Cloud" (medium grey)
"Crater Lake" (dark blue)
"Summer Sky" (light blue)
"Pebble Path" (taupe)
"Mountain Snow" (white)

and in addition, I have two quarts of their specialty colors (which are only ever available at Swan Island): one each of Turquoise, and Black... Maybe this year I will get around to doing a bit more of the wall painting here. The kitchen walls are so much nicer than when it was just white, maybe it is time for the bigger bedroom, one wall at a time?

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~ anodyne ~

spectacular poppies are blooming all over the neighborhoood right now, in various colors from deep red through sunset to even some pink or lavender ones... Later on in the autumn, once the flower stalks are sere and brown, the pods can be salvaged for miniature bottles and flasks and flower vases.

a poppy pod vase is about 1" tall

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Stopped at the art store to hopefully get some of the round sponge brushes for the ceiling project. Found out that they are discontinuing the 10% discount for seniors and for teachers, which makes me sad. But if it lets them stay in business I don't begrudge them at all. I would rather have a local worker owned store than have to order online.

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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	tiny footstools	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	acorn bowls	clean large paper lantern	yard waste bin
5	angora goat lino	pocket brown pinafore	yard waste bin
6	mini cushions	reframed raindrop print	recycle bin
7	copycat sunhat	partial backyard mowed	wonky kitchen light
8	OGGS setting	front yard mowed	x
9	sunscreen mitts	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The local art store had some of the inexpensive round sponge brushes that I intend to use for painting the dotted border on the kitchen ceiling
2. University of Atlantia (SCA) is still offering free online workshops, and I've registered for two scribal art classes next month
3. Boxes of treats for the Solstice miniature swap have arrived for the folks that are participating. I've put my little goodies in the advent box ready to open the first package tomorrow.

Time of Isolation - Day 1423

some scribal shenanigans

in which our plucky heroine had a go at something new...

~ Celtic style Pelican Scroll ~

This is the custom Pelican scroll that I worked on last month, for the 48 hour scribal challenge I've been mentioning. It was a bit of a stretch for me, both to return to scribal activity after quite a sabbatical, and to attempt a very different style than my beloved Gothic artwork. The challenge image for this year was "March Hare" and the challenge color was "heraldic Azure"...

I was inspired by Insular and Anglo-Saxon artwork and artifacts from the 9th to the middle of the 11th century. I decided that the best way to incorporate the "March Hare" theme would be to add interlaced running hares to the side borders of the scroll, and incorporated heraldic "Azure" by being sure to include plenty of blue gouache in the borders and backgrounds of the decoration, the hares will also either be blue, or on a blue background, when painted.

The scroll is made on a Bristol board backing, painted with Holbein gouache paint and calligraphed with Calli ink. I added a small amount of metallic golden Finetec mica paint as accents. These are all modern materials.

What has worked well for me on this scroll is that I was able to create a pleasing composition in a style I never attempted before. I was also able to figure out a new variation on Roman Rustic calligraphy appropriate to the period, based on the Stone of Odda. In addition I was also particularly inspired by some of the minor imagery in the Book of Kells, and by various Anglo Saxon garnet jewelry.

In the future, I will return to my former practice of seeking out specific pages of manuscripts to use as my exemplars, and writing down where I found my ideas. In this case, I did not do so, and I sorely regret my lack of good documentation. I think this piece would have benefited by being made on Perg rather than Bristol, and will attempt that in the future.

The new to me thing I did was to use pictures of an existing artifact, The Odda Stone, as a source for the calligraphic hand on this scroll. The carved stone, which dates from the middle of the 11th C, has an inscription in Latin lettering. Since that hand is similar to Roman Rustic, which I recently learned, I was able to adapt my writing to this new variation. The other new thing I learned in my reading was that the Book of Kells used line-fillers. Those small graphics have always been a favorite of mine, and I did not know that they were used so early on. Therefore I added those to this scroll as well, where needed.

Sources I looked at for inspiration:
"Odda Stone" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Odda_Stone.jpg)

The Book of Kells"; Bernard Meehan; Thames and Hudson; 1994
 

"The Golden Age of Anglo-Saxon Art"; ed. Janet Backhouse, DH Turner, Leslie Webster; British Museum Publications Ltd; 1984

  .... 
A celtic style Pelican, and the heraldry of the recipient
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May SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	4 tiny books	half front yard mowed	yard waste bin
2	10 tiny books	more front yard mowed	recycle bin
3	-	replace cloudlight bulb	dead rosemary
4	-	clean large paper lantern	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	x
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x

today's gratitudes -
1. The KAMsnaps setting tool is sized such that even my wee paws will be able to use it. This is very much not always so!!
2. The new house stepladder arrived today, and it makes a huge difference in what I can reach, for obvious reasons. While it doesn't feel quite as secure as my lower one, the extra foot of height means I can easily reach the ceiling in the main part of the house, and actually, if not quite so easily, reach the ceiling in the workroom
3. I was able to cut away the dead portions of the rosemary, which fortunately was only about half the entire shrub.

Time of Isolation - Day 1398

glue that sticks around...

in which our plucky heroine appreciates adhesives...

The half full jar of "Yes Paste" in my box of glue is apparently at least 35 years old! The store tag on the side of the jar is from a shop in Olympia where I bought art supplies when I was in school. The adhesive is still completely useable, as it worked perfectly to adhere the fancy Japanese paper to the foam core. Color me impressed.

And yes, I do have a box with an assortment of different kinds of glue, everything from 5 minute epoxy, to multiple types of PVA, to the aforementioned jar of paste. It really helps when creating artifacts to be able to choose how to attach things, and were mechanical fastening is not appropriate, what we called "chemical bonding" might do the trick. For those who might find it useful, there is even a website "This to That" which offers advice on what adhesive to use in specific situations

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as we get closer to the deadline for the Advent swap, I've started to decorate the advent shadowbox Acantha sent me last year. The little drawers are now painted, and still need to have their numbers and details added. The outside of the box, and the inside edges of the central portion need to be painted.

I've cut and covered a piece of foam core to make a removable center panel, and will glue two ribbon handles to the bottom edge in case I want to change it out for seasonal decor. Lastly I will add hanging hardware to the back, as there is no fireplace or mantel here at Acorn Cottage... 

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Last night I baked almost all the quinces, in preparation to cutting them into pieces to make more quince jelly and quince paste. Of course, I managed to do this far too late in the evening to also start on the cookery, so the slightly softer fruit are now filling up the produce drawer in the wee fridge. And also most of the bottom shelf. Did I mention that the fridge here is only a bit bigger than a shoebox (really is about the size of two dorm fridges)...

While rummaging around online for "things to do with quinces, I ran across this recipe for panforte. A few of the quinces I currently have are going to become candied quince, which would be splendid in holiday baking. I have never had this particular confection, but given how much I love fruitcake, it sounds interesting. I would (of course) leave off the cloves, and substitute pecans for hazelnuts, and probably cut the entire recipe in half to make a smaller cake to try it out.

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Yesterday I started cutting out the pieces so I can make an embroidered felt brooch of Elphinore, the eponymous character from "Elf Dog and Owl Head". I like having an assortment of small "kits" on hand for pick up work, either embroidery, hand sewing, or knitting.

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I've begun sewing the raincoat lining, and in conversation with my pal Leslie, have figured out best a possibly workable option for dealing with where the lining meets the facing and the outer layer, and for where the lining meets the back neckline. Fingers crossed it all works out. The raincoat project is probably the most complicated thing I have done in years, and it will be in immediate frequent use once completed.

The rest of the sewing I plan for the next year is rather too lopsided to be called SWAP; filling in wardrobe gaps is what is really needed. I want some new lingerie, including several new slips and a few sports bras. I want to replace my lost dark denim hat, and might also make a brown hat and pinafore from the length of chocolate brown linen. It would be great to have a few more pairs of winter leggings, in the interest of moving some knit fabric from the resource shelves into the dresser drawers. And, after almost spilling the can of F&B paint on my lap, it occurs to me that either an apron or a smock to wear when doing messy chores might be useful

November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	6 jars quince jelly	glove thumb re-knit	-
2	tiny tiger stripe dress	persimmon pruning	-
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. an art store in my neighborhood, that I can walk to, where I have been there often enough that they recognise me...
2. the amazing lifespan of Yes Paste!! (35 years and counting)
3. I had no bad reactions at all to my flu vaccination

Time of Isolation - Day 1225

blue roses on toeses...

in which our plucky heroine follows a wild hair down an internet rabbit hole...

I had a sudden desire to add British canal boat style roses to the toes of my just-painted-blue canvas shoes. The blue roses remind me of the 1978 Winterland Grateful Dead poster*, and I hope that these shoes will remind me to keep whimsy in my heart as I continue down the path...

The shoes themselves were originally a (boring) beige canvas, and I painted them blue last week. (The previous pair I painted blue lasted 4 years before they fell apart, but the paint was still in good shape. Just plain ordinary craft acrylic paint is surprisingly durable, unlike whatever the microfiber is that they use for shoe linings.) I found some good step by step tutorials and images online which helped me get the style of rose I wanted, and I used ordinary blackboard chalk to mark out where I wanted to paint the roses, because it wipes away with a damp cloth after the paint is dry...

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Saturday I took a small adventure and went to see my friend's display at an outdoor "art picnic" in one of the local parks. It was a treat to see them, and their artwork in person, as well as to get a sense of the hyperlocal and mostly youthful art scene. There was a wide range of media and imagery, of course, and it rather reminded me of my youth, when folks would gather on Cambridge Common on Saturdays to vend and be social.

I was totally wearing my P100 the whole time, and the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon the bus was not terribly crowded. It felt fairly safe as the location and layout meant that there was plenty of fresh air, and enough distance between folks for comfort. Almost no one these days seems to be wearing masks, which makes me sad though.

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 94~

Day 94/100 (page 19) - Sunday added some more subtle hillocks to the landscape, with stem stitch and a bit of French knots, and I began adding stars to the sky at the top to better balance the geology at the base... Today I plan on finishing up the starry sky, which will complete this colophon page.

(Saturday) Day 93/100 (page 19) - finished stitching the various hillocks in place...

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Saturday I took a small adventure and went to see my friend's display at an outdoor "art picnic" in one of the local parks. It was a treat to see them, and their artwork in person, as well as to get a sense of the hyperlocal and mostly youthful art scene. There was a wide range of media and imagery, of course, and it rather reminded me of my youth, when folks would gather on Cambridge Common on Saturdays to vend and be social.

I was totally wearing my P100 the whole time, and the middle of the day on a Saturday afternoon the bus was not terribly crowded. It felt fairly safe as the location and layout meant that there was plenty of fresh air, and enough distance between folks for comfort. Almost no one these days seems to be wearing masks, which makes me sad though.

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well dang... making haste slowly would have been better! Trying to clean up the kitchen by carrying all the jars of quince jelly to the pantry shelves, and I dropped one. Glass shards mixed with jelly are a Big Mess. I hope I got it all; wiped repeatedly with damp paper towels until I couldn't see any more "sparkle"... And I still have the rest of the putting away and washing dishes left to do.

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 15	taxes done	jars to Mud Bay
2	custom Tullia daypack	shoes painted blue	recycle bin
3	page 16 and 17	shoe elastics transferred	extra plant pots
4	page 18	roses on shoe toeses	yard waste bin
5	-	-	grapes to compost
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. The roses for my shoes turned out just fun as I imagined them
2. Avgolemono (aka demonology soup)... always good
3. The person I hand embroidered a label for their quilt was quite happy with my efforts. And I learned how to better estimate how long it takes, and managed to get a successful result on double gauze, which is not trivial.

Time of Isolation - Day 1041



* This is the concert poster I had in mind...

a sunny day

in which our plucky heroine appreciates the weather...

'tis a lovely "first day of spring"... the weather is moderate, at least for today. I noticed that the ornamental plum trees in the front yard are beginning to be dusted with pink, as their buds open. Every day the nubbins on the quince tree get larger. And, best of all practical changes, it was dry and breezy, which meant that I could hang todays laundry out on the clothesline!

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~ 100 day stitch book project - day 61 ~

Day 61/100 (page 13) - picked up two scraps that had fallen to the workroom floor, and after a bit of judicious snipping and moving around, et voila... (I may add more clouds as just outline stitched motifs in white against the turquoise background)

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Put in several hours this evening painting in the background of the scroll for Raven. I've almost finished the first layer of underpainting, and dabbed a bit of the Finetec metallic paint on the Scythian beast for better contrast. Once I figure out the details that underlay the beasts' head and antlers, I can get the rest of that layer completed. There will be at least two more layers of painting on the background, and probably three more on the beasts ..

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Yesterday I found the larger part of a very empty animal skull in my driveway. Based on the size, and the shape of the teeth still present, I am guessing cat rather than rodent. It was a little baffling, but also interestingly shaped, so I picked it up and moved it to the front porch. When I returned from my bike ride, the skull was not where I left it, though I found it again in one of the empty planter pots nearby, with some of the bone around the eye sockets chewed away, and a rather pissed off squirrel (now named "Skullbiter") staring at me from the tree branches.I moved the skull inside one of the salad table cages, where it should be safe from further depredation for the time being, until I can find the time to draw it.

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March SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	page 9	chore jacket snaps	recycle bin
2	5 strawberry needlekeeps	rain capelet neckline	yard waste bin
3	page 10	Stanley power strip	ceiling fan blades
4	page 11	pruned elderberry	more ceiling fan blades
5	7 lotus star booklets	rebedded worms	yard waste bin
6	x	x	recycle bin
7	x	x	crocs of slip-n-fall
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. air dried clothing, the first of this year
2. Firesign Theater, courtesy of YouTube
3. leftovers for dinner, so yummy!

Time of Isolation - Day 1007

outside the box

in which our plucky heroine may have solved a dilemma...

The universe gave me grapes this year instead of plums. Plums are so easy to process - gather, cut in half and remove the pit, put on trays in freezer, tumble into ziplocs and store until needed. (and they become an everyday addition to my breakfast museli) The fragrant if very seedy grapes from Feral Grapevine however, have resisted my efforts to turn them into anything edible, due to the seeds, and also the abundance of tartaric crystals that form.

Last night before bed I had what may be a way to get around the seed difficulty. If I acquire the tomato press, and the concomitant "grape spiral" (needed because grapes have huge seeds), then I will have a way to de-seed the grapes without going to cuckoo land. Not to mention that the tomato press will also be useful for processing... tomatoes! Several of my friends recommended it previously, so I decided to go ahead and order one to add to the Acorn Cottage infrastructure. Should arrive in a little over a week. In the meantime, I will be making space in the freezer to store the grapes, since they will not hold on the vine for that long.

I wonder if the skins will slip off frozen grapes as easily as they slip off frozen tomatoes? Ifso, then grape jam might be a possibility. My former attempts at grape syrup, or at grape jelly, were marred by an overabundance of the tartaric acid crystals, despite my leaving the juice for 24 hours in the fridge to let them settle out. Would jam not have the same problem? Another option might be  simply freezing the now de-seeded grape pulp in ice cube trays or in Talenti tubs to add to breakfasts or for use as a sweetener, or an ingredient in quick bread. Inquiring mind wants to know, and will share experimental results once the equipment arrives...

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I have been watching various doom-scenarios since I was a schoolgirl, with fewer and fewer options for personal survival as the years pass. The currently elaborating pandemic, combined with the various other ways our species seems hellbent on destroying itself and massively altering the biosphere, do not bring me hope. I wish that there was less of my mental processing power given to compartmentalising all that away in order to go about my daily life in as personal and planetary a functional and helpful way, but that is what I attempt anyway. Every day doing a tiny bit to make the world kinder, more beautiful, and more creative. It is antinomy in action.

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~ creativity challenge ~
.

13 little circles of parchment, painted for Elanor, representing most of her SCA awards. They are just over ¾" diameter, painted with gouache paint on real parchment. She will be using them, once they are placed in bezel settings, as a decoration on a Renaissance era hat band, in combination with freshwater pearls and other gems. Boy howdy is painting a lot faster than enameling, but even so this took me the better part of a day and a half.

. .
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October SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	smoothing board	replaced glue cap	some planter soil
2	wee needle case	re-container black gesso	crawling fuschias
3	mini birchbark	indigotiger popover	yard waste bin
4	fig lemon preserves	re seal preserve jars	windfall apples
5	miniature comb	grapevine pruning	recycle bin
6	13 painted discs	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. The aunties stopped by to visit on their way to the wedding tonight, and brought me fresh organic masa from the co-op... now I can make tortillas!
2. today was the 1 year anniversary of the Sewing Nomads group meeting on Zoom once a fortnight, Huzzah for connection across time and space!
3. the better sewing pins I bought a while back, so very sharp and thin and easy to use, with pretty real glass heads. Having good tools for the activities I do makes a huge difference.

Time of Isolation - Day 961

Friday fragments - #olddognewtricks

in which our plucky heroine makes an incremental leap...

I just noticed I am being increasingly and frustratingly tangled in negativity, and took some time and was able think out a different perspective on the situation, and also think about a different approach to the particular current project that is being so challenging. More important still is if I can maintain my better attitude. I've been noticing how much I complain, like all the time... and it isn't useful, or pleasant for me or for anyone I interact with... making an effort to change that behavior... #olddognewtricks

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I am quite looking forward to painting a set of 1" parchment discs for my pal Karen. They will be components of a decorative Renaissance hatband for her SCA hat, with the images representing most of her various awards. This project will be an interesting departure from my more usual scribal activity, and a chance to play with gouache on real parchement. This will be one of my rewards for finishing the wedding rings...

One of the images called for a birch leaf shape, and I was able to find a birch tree whilst out on my bike ride yesterday, so that one was sketched from life. Everything else came from online images, as the likelihood of my finding a falcon, or a lion, or even an out of season daffodil, is rather small. Grateful for the reference library that never sleeps aka the internet...

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~ creativity challenge ~
the wedding rings project

day 1 : make the tiny stars for decoration, stamp/cut/file/repeat x 4, make granules
day 2 : make the bezels to set the stones, add beaded wire decorative border
day 3 : after consultation, attempt to shape the bezels to fit curved rings...
day 4 : scrap day 2&3 and start over with thicker bezel wire and deeper bezels

I'd been asked to make a pair of wedding rings for friends. There are complications, as the pretty Oregon sunstone cabochons they chose are larger than anything I have set on a ring in the past. My initial efforts were based on soldering everything together before bending the ring shank round, which if I had thought about the topography, I would have realised was Not Going To Work out. Fortunately this was pointed out to me before I went too far.

Instead, I added a bit of 18ga silver to the base of the bezels and began to grind, file and shape one to fit the curve of a ring shank. This did not go well. The 8mm bezels are hard to hold on to, and also delicate. Grinding makes the metal get hot really quickly, though one can only remove the metal a small bit at a time, lest grinding too far changes the shape past fitting in place. Switching to sandpaper (over a suitably shaped dowel) is helpful, but after several hours of sanding my shoulder hates me, and the first bezel still isn't deeply shaped enough.

I then spent about a day several additional hours beating myself up for both wasting time and materials, and for ever agreeing to take on the project in the first place. I give up for the night and go to bed.

I wake up with the realisation that sometimes the best way to move forward is to scrap  the project what isn't working and start over. (two days work into the scrap bin, but I'll hopefully have more success) fitting bezels to a curved surface is not trivial and this is new technical territory.  Very glad I've got some extra silver, and some extra days. Take deep breath and move on. Today I am going to make a deeper, thicker bezel to start with, using the unsuccessful xp1 bezel as a gauge for how deep to make it. Fill the bezel (temporarily) with dowel for support while shaping. Continue forward momentum...

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September SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	7 tiny sunflowers	6 pants for Beth	yard waste bin
2	poppy pod vase	4 box fans clean	recycle bin
3	grey canvas hat	heraldry painted	yard waste bin
4	-	M skirt waistband	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 - progress on a better attitude - focus on three good things each day

1. a shift of perspective
2. the internet is a reference library that never sleeps
3. some spare supplies

Time of Isolation - Day 939

year of the Water Tiger

in which our plucky heroine considers starting with art...

As it is also the start of Lunar Year of the Tiger, I found this ancient artifact posted by the British Museum to start my month off well and fiercely... I've decided that my February challenge will be to do some paper based artwork every day, as my first thing in the morning activity. Start the day with art. It might be drawing, or painting, or collage or ??... If I don't feel a specific inspiration, I have bookmarked an entirely unrelated set of February prompts to set my mind in motion.

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Since I gave the first miniature bedroom stove away to the neighbor girl yesterday, I started making another one today for use by my own tiny friends. I am also thinking of Nandina's mother Kenya Ogidni, if I can find the brown fabric I have set aside...

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February SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny bedroom stove	-	-
2	-	-	-
3	-	-	-
4	-	-	-
5	-	-	-
6	x	x	-
7	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 gratitude - I'm going to have an Asian inspired supper: homemade pot stickers, some bok choi stir-fried with shrimp, and rice, all with things currently on hand in the house. I am grateful to have both enough and a variety...

Monday miscellany

in which our plucky heroine grasps for equanimity...

I've been spending today trying not to think about tomorrow. Managed to get about half of what I'd hoped to accomplish today completed. A bit of yardwork, a bit of housework, and a bit of artwork... well begun anyway, though nothing is completed

I remain pleased with the new tools from Lee Valley, the folding pruning saw has already made a difference, and the dripless oil dispenser is, in fact, exactly as described, so much so that I am rather tempted to get a second one for tamari)

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 68 ~

Nandina watches while I transfer my design to the lino block, before starting a new "Making Art For A Change" blockprint. This one is based on the various Black Hours manuscripts, with "Black Lives Matter" in Gothic style letters and a floral/foliated border. This is also the first time I have used Saral transfer paper, and it works superbly on a dark background.

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Over the weekend I did find a piece of albeit rather thin linen twill in the fabric zone, too small to become a garment, and cut it up into five dishtowels. Since all the dishes get washed by hand here, and I also use them for any kitchen cleanup that isn't gross, I go through kitchen towels at a rather remarkable clip...

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 234:

My new paintbox tin, with all the gouache colors, and metallic/mica gold*, and space for my two travel paintbrushes...

This winter I intend to focus on improving my scribal skills (calligraphy and illumination), and giving myself the small treat of a nifty paintbox was by way of a promise. The little half-pans are held in with magnets, and I stuck some to the back of the golden paint pan as well.

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Three elaborate beads came from Ariadne, courtesy of Heather's previous trip down here in October, and I decided to restring the necklace she had made for me a number of years earlier. A has impressive lampwork skills, and, as I mentioned to her, now when I wear the necklace, it is like the hugs we cannot give one another are still around my neck warming my heart...

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November SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	five new dishtowels	restring beads	-
2	x	x	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	x
5	x	x	x
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 gratitude - the love and generosity of my friends surrounds me. Three different specific occasions in the last three days really called that to the forefront of my awareness, so when I wear my bead necklace, or cook in my new saucepan, or turn the heat up a bit to feel warmth, I remember the precious gifts and thoughtfulness that make that possible, even in this hard time when our hands cannot touch...

Saturday snippets

in which our plucky heroine spends a good chunk of the day painting...

today was mostly about online crafting, whether in making progress on my small handmade sketchbook in the Medieval Islamic Bookbinding workshop, or filling in the painted borders on the Court Baroness scroll I am making for Countess Elisabeth during our almost six hour long Crafternoon. I am going to call it a win, partcularly compared to earlier in the week. That the temperature dropped down at least 10 degrees helped, as did a long morning of grey sky.

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~ 100 day creativity challenge - day 35 ~

partially completed upper scroll border, still needs whiteline details on the foliage and the large initial letter in the lower left ...

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There are times when I positively hate being as short as I am. Trying to reach the light fixture in the laundry area*, where even with my stepladder and standing on my toes I can barely touch the tiny screws that hold the glass cover to the light fixture. I need to keep clambering up and down the stepladder to reposition it so I can safely keep one hand on the glass while the other turn the screws to loosen it. Whew! mischief safely managed, and the dead light bulbs are replaced; I ordered a small supply of new LED light bulbs from Ikea, which should obviate the necessity for this to happen again anytime soon!

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beauty in the time of isolation - day 130:

a bit of online research, this is some variety of Abutilon

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August SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	x	light bulbs replaced	-
2	x	x	-
3	x	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	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 gratitude - the miracle of modern technology, that lets us share pixels with one another and approximate being together. And friends that show up each week...

*this is the only fixture in the house that I cannot reach, as the removal of the former floor in this room dropped the level a good six inches, thereby "raising" the ceiling height...

Friday fragments

in which our plucky heroine is grateful to awaken in the bright world again attempting a life which is a combination of productivity and creativity...

Last nights dreams were all about contagion, unsurprisingly... the worst one though, was the one where I was inside Acorn Cottage, walking past the front door, noticed it was (closed but) unlocked, and went to turn the deadbolt... as I did so, the door started moving as if someone was on the other side wanting to get in, and though I threw my entire strength against the door, I wasn't strong enough to push back and latch it closed. I could feel my feet slipping against the floor... I woke up, with my heart pounding, and it was a long time before I managed to find my way back to dreamland.

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day 4 of the sunflower microgreens experiment... there are visible sprouts beginning to appear. I have been checking on them twice a day and misting the surface to keep it moist. They are growing in a kludged plant tray made from several identical fridge storage containers, one layer with drainage holes drilled, a lower layer to catch drips, and a lid layer that is usually on the surface and very slightly weighted, so the sprouts are kept from drying out. I am becoming hopeful that my experiment will be a success!

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~ 100 day challenge - day 5 ~

I've only put in a half hour on painting this one so far; the second layer of background paint will smooth out the irregularity in the red hue

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in other news, the cross alley view (formerly horrid pastel plastic playhouse trash) has been replaced with a shiny deep blue and chrome motorcycle. Somehow I doubt it is a discard on the way to the dump, and somehow, also, I do not mind seeing it there across the alley...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	dried mushrooms	window rainbow	dead Bernina
2	frozen mushrooms	some pruning	five pounds
3	6 more masks	motion light	yard waste bin
4	12 masks	lawn mowed	-
5	10 more masks	some more pruning	-
6	21 more masks	green onions planted	-
7	tiny drawings	peas protected	-
8	green CYRK lion	printer interface	x
9	35 masks cut out	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - one of the two avocados that Heather brought me is ripe, and today I melted cheese atop leftover cooked rice, and added cut avocado pieces, the last of the cilantro foliage, and some of the home canned salsa verde.. yum! Tomorrow I may try making some tortillas, and have some homemade quesadillas

Welcome to Kludge Kingdom

in which our plucky heroine hacks through the jungle of outdated outmoded tech..

Since I was finally able to get the venerable printer to work properly (instead of printing and spewing dozens of pages each with one line of machine language) when re-connected to my semi-dysfunctional desktop instead of the laptop,  I decided that the best thing was to acquire some more printer ink, and a second trackball mouse, so I don't have to also  move the trackball between laptop and desktop, and I can print out postage labels if needed, and so I do not need to purchase a new printer!

Instead, all I need to do is get up and walk three steps across the living room, to move the data manually between laptop and desktop using a memory stick. This will also allow/encourage me to do some of my writing and image processing at the old desktop which is configured as a standing desk, and has my *beloved* very old ergonomic Microsoft keyboard (why does no one make those any more?!?)

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~ 100 day challenge - day 4 ~
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I started this morning painting in the lion's mane... later in the day I really needed another break, so I decided to finish painting the lion. Finally, I re-inked all the outlines a second time. Once I cut out the artwork from the page, the edges of the red border will be much smoother. I think I was able to get the effect of the original poster, even though this isn't an *exact* copy

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beauty in the time of isolation:

mural outside Chief Joseph School, sky still holding light after sunset; today I walked just over 5.4 miles...

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	dried mushrooms	window rainbow	dead Bernina
2	frozen mushrooms	some pruning	five pounds
3	6 more masks	motion light	-
4	12 masks	lawn mowed	-
5	10 more masks	some more pruning	-
6	21 more masks	green onions planted	-
7	tiny drawings	peas protected	-
8	green CYRK lion	printer interface	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 gratitude - I didn't grow up canning food, but learned as an adult. Thank you to Britta for the encouragement, and also to Tigress in a Jam for the year-long CanJam that stretched my canning experiences. Also extra thanks to the Three B's for sending me the big box of Harry and David pears, more than half of which were turned into canned pears. I adore canned pears, and now in this difficult time, their sweet taste is only sweeter as it brings you three to mind...

the wrong fabrics

in which our plucky heroine begins to cannibalise her cotton bedsheets...

It seems very odd indeed to realise that given that I have several shelves and totes full of fabric, that for these new and particular needs, I have hardly any of "the right sort of fabric". I am not a quilter; I don't usually use or sew with the sort of tightly woven cotton that is best for mask making. Most of my fabric in my "stash" is either wool, or fairly loosely woven linen, denim, or heavyweight canvas, or much too textured to be wearable on a face.

I have dug through what I do have here, and picked out the smoothest tightest woven fabrics, the few cottons, and several (cotton not-flannel) sheets that will end up being turned into masks, as well, so I do have enough to meet the various commitments I have made for the sewing this week, which is all about sewing masks. So far I have promised over 70 masks this week, in addition to the ones from last week, for Amber......

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beauty in the time of isolation:

Around the neighborhood, people are putting rainbows in windows, in various ways, as a sign of hope, I think, and for children to find as they are out walking. I wanted to join in, and the only suitable paints were a random assortment of house paint, craft acrylic, and textile paint... This is the first just for fun somewhat creative thing I have done in a month. (I also sort of love how the sewing machine is reflected in the front window in the middle of the rainbow. (going to be spending the week stitching up masks for folks) looking rather like a HUGE sewing machine hanging out in the parking strip)

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April SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	dried mushrooms	window rainbow	-
2	frozen mushrooms	x	-
3	six more masks	x	-
4	x	x	-
5	x	x	-
6	x	x	-
7	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 gratitude - improvisation: using what I have to nurture sparks of creativity