Monday, March 18, 2024

Daffodils, potholder and broken bits

 The squirrels evidently like the daffodils, too, and broke a couple playing with them. So they're now indoors, scenting the room powerfully, the white one fruity, the yellow ones peppery 


Here you see through to the patio, chairs summerized,  just organized for sitting in, not washed yet. Rushing the season.


And here's one of my favorite paintings, which I've shown you before but it's worth seeing again. And when I remember the painter's name I'll credit her. Ed note: Brynhild Parker, thanks to Yamini.


And Atomic Shrimp went mud larking on the fossil coast of the UK, where a Victorian landfill slumped onto the beach, full of bits of crockery. His YouTube channel is full of excursions like this.

Gary is back from a trip and came dashing over last evening to get his photo taken to prove to his daughter he does still get dressed up in a suit sometimes. He'd been in the city today. To people here that means Manhattan. 

He also arranged to fix my leaking downstairs toilet today or tomorrow, and renewed his pleas on me not to send the eight- foot ficus to the library, he'll miss it!  So will I, but better to do it now than leave it for Handsome Son later. 

I won't miss hauling it out in summer and back in fall, and my friend at the library is all set to do all that, even has the indoor and outdoor spots picked out. 

Their indoor light is so much better than here, plenty of overhead light, just what a ficus likes. I just get to admire it when I visit. I've taken care of it for fifty plus years, time to hand over.

And meanwhile I'm nearly done with the Quilted Potholder.



I learned quite a bit in the course of making it, one thing being that my running-stitch skills are rusty, after only a few weeks of not stitching. 

Another was that toweling shifts and creases with handling the way batting doesn't, and needs more securing pins at the outset.  And that I need more pins, having used all my meager supply and it wasn't quite enough. 

A bit more overcasting round the edges and it's ready to use. There are no leftover scraps, the hanger having used up the one extra bit. My Mermaid Potholder is almost there, though I'm not sure mermaids use them much.

Newish Haggard Hawks puzzle

Funny clues only, and bear with me if your clue is too subtle for me and I solemnly answer it!

Happy day everyone, don't worry if you miss the point, there'll be another one along in no time.




Sunday, March 17, 2024

Spring walk, qayg trial, Happy St. Patrick's

Happy St Patrick's Day, from this granddaughter of an Irishwoman.


Saturday morning was beautiful, no biting insects yet, bright sun, no jacket.

I noticed the pair of mallards I've seen on the pond were absent, and if you study those blobs out of reach there, on the opposite bank, basking,  you'll see why.




A squadron of snapping turtles, dangerous to ducks. Not a worry to the pair of Canada geese who eyed me suspiciously. They're probably nesting here, favorite place. 

And a pair of red tail hawks overhead, making large lazy circles in a dance. They're known for staying around and this is their territory, good hunting for small mammals and occasionally birds, but that's usually when they're hungry in winter and mammals are harder to find.

Then there's the pair of mourning doves meeting on the fence. And other signs of spring.

 



Back home I made a start on what is probably going to be a potholder. My stash is limited, but I have some good options.


I decided to use some scrap towelling for batting, and this turmeric-dyed fabric for backing.

So here's the sandwich, frontispiece batik, middlispiece toweling, backispiece dyed cotton.  Approximately 9" square, which will be a bit smaller when quilted and hemmed.




I tried a trapunto-style idea first, stitches enclosing pattern motifs, but didn't like it and started over with a grid.

It already feels quiltish, so that's nice, not being a quilter. I started with this idea, two solid pieces, no fancy piecing, to get the hang of it. 

I'm working in hand since my hoops don't cope with this thickness, the screws not long enough to work. But it's all good.

Happy day, everyone, and here's a cool Chaucerian bit











Friday, March 15, 2024

Chicken and knitting

The chicken roasted nicely and is one of the best I've had, very tender, tastes good, old fashioned chicken taste. I roast it breast down, so it's moist and tender. Olive oil, salt, nothing fancy.


I've made it into sandwiches, and served with steamed spinach, fast food the easy way, next probably curried.

The Friday knitting group yielded casual shots, no new work, just the general atmosphere of the group.









This is my current project, on hold for quite a while. I'm making a basket from the string I made from day lily leaves from the patio. I blogged about making this string a while back. If you do a search on cordage you'll find the beginning of this piece, two (!) years ago.

I'm between knitting projects so I thought I'd finish up my string and see what's next. Cordage is its posh name, and it's hard to stop once you start making it.

And the librarian presented us with eclipse glasses, all ready for April. We'll get a good view, though too far south for totality 


We had the usual conversation about all kinds of things ranging from pensions, decluttering, approaches to art, recent deaths, the upcoming move of my ficus to the library, the clock change, Smokey Bear looking buff, tattoos, art fairs, hoarding and more.

Group of four today: one knitting, one crocheting, one cross-stitching, one basket making. A kind of mini UN of craft working. I heart my group.

The evening I spent in an audio pod with people in several countries talking British royals and politics. It's all go!

Happy day everyone, I hope your go-button is operational today.



Misfits, muffins, flowers and Haggard Hawks

Because of an impending visit from Handsome Son, and a great scarcity in the house of any little something, whole wheat walnut muffins showed up



Shortly before Misfits did, here last week's insulated bag for pickup and whatever they do next with it





Nice haul, though they'd run out of strawberries, too bad, I had plans for baking poptarts with strawberry jam, but another time.

Meanwhile lunch was a tuna melt. There will be a cauliflower cheese in my future, too. And today I'll be roasting that little chicken you saw last week, do there will be plenty of go-to no-planning food around. Always a good thing.

I expect readers all got the Haggard Hawks puzzle?

MONSOON

Some people have seen this one before, but new readers maybe not. Anyway, that's it and thank you for not giving it away.

And current reading while I'm finishing up First Ladies, is a bit of fluff from D E Stevenson


It's for when you need a break from serious writing like the books I've read lately. An amuse-bouche. Before I delve into the 1819 Project for my online book group.

Emma Mitchell has created another great arrangement, and gives us notes on what's in it.



Happy day everyone, spring equinox soon in this hemisphere, moving along so fast.



Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Pi Day and puzzles


 Also Einstein's birthday.   Happy birthday, dear Albert.

Meanwhile the powerhouse of the small wild animal world threw bits of sticks at my front door, landing on the mat, and defied me when I looked out. You lookin at me? And got busy either burying or retrieving nuts in the lavender.




After a doctor visit for a bone density injection, when she pronounced me and my blood doing fine, I had a walk in the warm 70°f  sunshine.

Pictures of the pond taken between gangs of old golfing duffers, and I tossed back a couple of balls from many yards outside the boundary



And here's a thing to consider, picture taken while waiting for my doctor.

This is where I think  artists, this one, anyway, diverge from the rest of the world. At first I thought this was just a little graphic to break up a dull space.


Then I thought, no, this is a multicultural community, it's probably something written in an alphabet I'm not familiar with.

Finally, after ages I realized it was a literal drawing of how the paper towel dispenser dispenses. I just read things like this so differently from the way the designer intended.

There was a series of graphics like this on the Garden State Parkway, warning people, back before Ezy-Pass, to get ready to toss toll coins into containers. 

One of them I used regularly, having read the text without understanding the graphic, was apparently a really lovely graphic design, balanced, harmonious, contrasting shapes. After  several years of driving the Parkway, I realized it was an image of a hand throwing coins into the container. Oh.

Never mind, my doctor thinks I'm lovely. And there's a baby elephant who really dgaf.



Happy day, everyone, let your ears fly at will!