Heatpump passes, and new reading

The heatpump inspection is done yay,  and passed, yay again, Handsome Son being there to see the two inspectors in. One electrical, one plumbing. 

The plumbing one gave him a good tip about some ac part or other that might save a service call.  So we're all done, for now, and he has reliable heat in time for cold weather.

I'm currently rereading Mrs Pargeter, for these tired times, and started a Julian Barnes.

I love Barnes, since his first novel, which made me feel so seen. Anyway, this is 

This one promises to be as good as all the others I've read. He makes other writers seem trivial and pretentious, he's so incisive and direct and subtle at the same time. The only story being the love that shapes a life.

I winterized the living room. This amounts to finding the remote for the fireplace insert, changing the sofa throw from white cotton quilt to fuzzy kitty themed blanket, and turning over the loveseat cover to the busy friendly patterned side.  Done. Then to have a cosy read. No need to get carried away with cleaning or anything.  I did launder the white quilt.

After a day of not walking, so much going on competing for the energy, I really had a good sunny windy walk. A lot of nuts this year, crunching underfoot, and you have to watch your step around black walnuts, big enough to sprain your ankle if you step wrong. 

Lovely time visiting the trees

and ivy growing up the wild cherry,  a duck and drake on the pond. There was activity under the water, maybe frogs. 

I cut short my pond visit when a golfer hit a ball far out of bounds, bouncing off a tree near me and into the water. He was with a group, so I decided I'd better put more trees between us, in case his friends were at his level of golfery.

Home again with a nice spray of I think beech leaves. 

I like the color of the leaves against the Trenton Potteries pot.  A floor below, the Dollivers approve. On the wall is a handmade paper piece, made from cotton linters pulp.

Happy day everyone,  look up, there's a lot going on, sez 

Ted and Big Ursy.

Tuesday Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea Polly Barton

The Tuesday knitting group was fun, with a new member, also bears! I played with the bears.

Chat ranged over Hoopla, Libby, reciprocal library cards, mammograms, backstrap weaving, Aran sweaters, comfort dolls, the symphony, Amelie, Sissi Imperatrice, Babette's Feast, bread baking and more.

Then home to Textiles and Tea, with Santa Fe based Polly Barton, a great weaver of fine silk thread into ikat pieces. The warp and/or weft is dyed or painted to create the image, very painstaking and beautiful work.

She learned in Japan along with studying the tea ceremony, same spiritual force behind it all. At one point she was admin in New York to Helen Frankenthaler, and familiar with her sister, Gloria, who was a great weaver.

She recommends a book on ikat seen here. There's an image of her in Japan working with her teacher to organize a warp, and another of her current studio showing the hundred year old kimono loom she weaves on.

Polly younger, at work with her teacher in Japan

Polly now

In the background is her kimono loom, a simple floor loom, demanding all the skill from the weaver.

Here's a warped up loom with the image under the threads as the guide to painting the shape

Great afternoon, Tuesdays usually are.

Happy day everyone! Make all the things. Or just think about maybe making all the things. 

Meanwhile today's resistance was messages to all my MOCs demanding they speak up to stop ICE from opening Fort Dix  (NJ military base capable of housing 3,000 people) as a detention center.

 

Finger surgeon sez nah, splint, tomato bake and Diwali

Monday was the hand surgeon appointment to see my weird ring finger which jolts in and out.

While I waited, I shot a couple of pictures from the consulting room. Classic NJ parking lot, full of trees. As is NJ, in fact.

Anyway he said he expected I'd heard of trigger finger? Yes? Well this isn't it. Aside from sounding like standup, turns out it's more complicated and short of surgery, little to do for it.  

And he didn't recommend the necessary surgery because the tissue isn't "robust" enough to withstand it and get results.  Not robust is code for too old and decrepit. Also worn out, well, aren't we all. 

He gave me a script to get a custom made splint to restrict movement and stop the tendon falling down the gap between knuckles and refusing to come back up, technically subluxating.  He doubts I can actually work with a splint on. So I doubt whether I'll fill the Rx.

But I did check in case there was something I'd kick myself for not doing. 

Then it occurred to me that I can do a diy splint just to see if I can work with it on. I figured out how to prevent the tendon running across that last joint from clicking in and out. It's about restricting the range of motion.

Paper tape, just a test run. So far it's working. I can just wrap it when I need to knit or stitch or anything that needs fingers that don't fly out at will.

That's it for medical stuff, gah, primary, cardio, derma, dentist, optometrist, rheumo, hand surgeon, all saying go home and play, you're fiiiine. Better than the alternative, I'm not complaining here. 

I'd run out of food ideas for lunch, so old faithful appeared, the tomato, cheddar, feta, egg bake, big grind of white pepper, no added salt, plenty in the cheeses. Baked at 400°f till the eggs were cooked, about 20 minutes, served on bread or toast.  This dish is enough for two meals for moi.

Happy day everyone, the patio pavers didn't happen today,  weather, so another day. I'm just happy it will happen, never mind when. 

All the neighbors were partying for Diwali, Monday evening,  colored lights on houses, sparkly fireworks, no bangs,  they never seem to like bangs. No point in pictures because they'll look like pinpoints! The neighbor out back has erected a party tent on the patio, excited kids running about in the dark.

A friend sent me her pictures of me at the opening with my artworks

And Tuesday is all fun, Tuesday Knitting Group, Textiles and Tea, No Kings online.

New sauce, art opening, patio redux

 It was crunchy tofu time, and I made a different sauce. Yogurt, garlic, salt, dill 

It would have been good to remember the art opening before I ate a lot of anti social raw garlic,  but oh well.  It went very well with the tofu cubes. 

And in the course of crushing the garlic my folk craft cat cutting board came apart.

So it's still an artwork. Now it's Cat Crouching Behind Pillows. I always like a cat in the window, but usually it's a live one.

The opening was crowded, very happy event with speeches of thanks to everyone, and reminiscences.

E with her mixed media work 

Old friend Susan 

Really pleased that a lot of younger people are taking part 

Our leader, Tatiana 

The librarian who routed spammers trying to disrupt our communication before the show 

Paula who led the group before Tatiana 

Tatiana with her own work from a while back. 

I've been recruited to help think up more ways to show art in different parts of the building. Serves me right for showing up! 

And back home Gary was out measuring for the patio! He's buying the blocks tomorrow. I had thought he might not be well enough to do it, and hadn't mentioned anything about it but he seems fine with it.  The next door neighbors are going to match it, so we'll have a unified effect. I am really liking this.

Later he brought over his sad shefflera for a consultation then two hours of repotting, choosing pots, drilling holes to upcycle them, while I made suggestions and a lot of encouraging sounds. Later still he showed up with this nest which fell out of his tree. What bird,  do you think?

Never a dull moment chez Boud! Or in town

Happy day everyone, treasure your dull moments if you get any.