Fireplace on, Freecycle and Finicky Folk

This morning, overnight last night in the 40s, I switched on the fireplace insert and found the flickering log light effects work fine and the heat function doesn't. After eight years I suppose not surprising. Mainly I only use it for the cosy effect, without the heat. 

No house heat needed yet. If my hands and feet are warm, that's fine for now. 

And I'm putting my heaviest hand weights on Freecycle, keeping only the ones I now use. 

I backed off from these after I passed eighty in order to protect my spine and wrists. I still get enough out of the 5lb ones and the, I think, 2lb. The smaller ones are for some hand exercises I was shown by Handsome Partner's physio, to keep my wrists out of trouble as I moved and turned him. HP, not the physio. They're still useful to avoid knitting injury.

No sooner said than did. Gone in an hour, several eager requests. I'm helping Keep (or get) America Fit!

I'm also offering a bag of clothing, some handmade by me, and have had not much interest, except for one person, there's one in every crowd. 

This person wanted me to text better pictures and asked EXACTLY what size. I had listed these items in detail. Hand stitched clothing doesn't work exactly to manufacturer sizes, whatever they are, and they vary.

I'd specified email only, my phone doesn't text pix, and had said the clothing was all women's small. 

I messaged back saying sorry, the items were now bagged and again they're women's small, usually meaning 6-8 in manufacturing ranges. Crickets now.

I'll probably deposit them at a local collection or the thriftie. I hope someone will get some use out of them. 

The handmade items are unworn, and fine but just don't work for me. The white toweling popover goes over your head and I found it was a bit of an issue to take it off, aging shoulders, unforeseen hitch. 

Gary has changed his mind about the paint. He now plans on a black wall. So he came over with sample strips of blacks to choose a couple to get paint samples and try them on the walls.  

I just hope nobody wants to change it later. It's quite a job painting a light color over a darker one, needs layers and strategy. I didn't get into that, just discussed various shades of black, warm and cool.

Happy day everyone! I hope your plans work better than ours in this neighborhood. We're a bit hit or miss sometimes. Except a hit for lunch. 

I was finishing up that great leftover soup and dropped the last of the fresh greens, mainly spinach, on top of the hot bowl of soup. It just wilted enough to be really good with the soup, and I think I'll do that again.

The early voting numbers are massive, record breaking. This may show the polls, and the people who still believe in them (narrator: see who pays for them first), are hopelessly out of sync with with reality. I strongly doubt  the "neck and neck" scenario.  Let's look for a blue tsunami.

Tuesday, lovely Tuesday

Tuesday started at the dermatologist, getting a good report, and having a couple of tiny red things frozen off, all good.

But first I mailed out my Postcards to Voters, and Handsome Son reported doing likewise. Here's the deal

By following their mailing plans, we arrange for each listed voter to receive three postcards at intervals. These are registered voters in swing states and very contested House and Senate races. Mine and HS are for NJ 7th district where we hope to replace the hopeless Tom Kean Jr with the hopeful Sue Altman. Fingers crossed. We done our bit.

Back in time for another great lunch from yesterday, and a bowl of cornstarch pudding for dessert. There will be a third meal from this Chickpea Sheet Pan recipe, which needs a better name. 

Then off to Tuesday knitting group, yay, I made it this week, and met a wonderful new friend, who didn't mind showing her Achievement of the Day. Picture with her permission

Another member showed her how to start crochet, she having a lot of experience making slipcovers and drapes, but no knitting or crochet. She's determined to make a scarf for her grandson.  This is her first shot at a crochet chain, and she's going to continue.

and here's knitted lace from an expert, wearing one of these shawls as she knits another.

Talk ranged over moving, downsizing, Virginia, outliving family and friends, telephone talkers, favorite women doctors, Christmas presents for teachers, football, dislocated joints, soccer, the Knitting Ministry, and more.

Home again to Textiles and Tea, with Vandana Jain,  a force of nature, a painter and weaver who exhibits works created from found objects combined with weaving. She also teaches weaving to students with physical and emotional disabilities, a hugely valuable service.

This is an installation, tape applied directly to the wall

Her partner is a painter, and gave this painting for her to cut up and incorporate into the weaving below

They're collaborating on a show this weekend in Brooklyn, his paintings incorporated into her weavings

She uses looms ranging from a giant Macomber to a little Cricket and a saori loom.  And her found objects are from the streets of Brooklyn around her studio.  She's such an imaginative and flexible artist, and is the only person I know who loves puerh tea. To me it's way too dark and bitter and earthy. But her workaday tea favorite is Irish Breakfast. Just sayin.

In the middle of the session, Gary came over to confer about a poorly plant, which has that ailment I forget the name of, little scale things on the underside, sticky exudate. He's got a spray. I just nodded and agreed. Warned him to keep it away from his other plants.

Happy day, everyone, I hope your Tuesday was as good as this one.

Indigenous People Day, winterizing the sofa

Sunday evening, late, I winterized the sofa. The white cotton summer quilt is now in the washing machine, and the cozy blanket with knitted afghan is now in action

Fall Me is grateful to Spring Me for conscientiously putting them away laundered instead of saying oh, they'll do. 

That's pretty much it for winterizing, aside from changing the front door curtain from the striped canvas to the red felt. Simple life!

Since at the time of writing it's a holiday (!) my whole life is a holiday, I am wondering how much loafing I can fit in. Probably I'll do some visible mending, because I have socks to fix. And some stitching. And there's an interesting Yeung Man Cooking recipe to try, for which I have all, well most of, the ingredients already. 

I didn't have his exact veggies, also I added in chicken which he wouldn't, and this was great. There's at least one more meal available. I only had a small amount of rice in the house, or there would be more meals.

The sauce was wonderful. I had agave syrup, not maple, scallions not bell peppers, and lemon juice instead of some ingredient I don't know in the sauce. It didn't matter. And there's leftover sauce, for various other food.

Every forkful is a different combo, very interesting. I'm really glad I made that red chili oil a while back. I'll need more soon.

And for reading there's Austen. It may shape up to be a regular day around here.

But since the holiday honors our indigenous peoples, I will pay tribute to the Lenni Lenape, who lived and tended the land I now live on.

I do try to take care of the land, don't spray, don't kill anything I can avoid, don't buy when I can make from what's at hand, all that. Small effects, but good attempts. That includes the mending.

Tatters is offering a series of classes in mending, it's a thing.

Those socks definitely reminded me to get darning.

The Kindle is good for more than reading 

The yarn wasn't as contrasty as I expected. Also my skills are a bit rusty.  And, as you see, 

this hole went around a corner, challenging.

A couple more much smaller holes to fix and I'm set.

My flower garden is done for the year, the containers at least, the foliage tossed among the trees to rot down and feed the earth, containers stacked for next year. Just the little patch of wildflowers from the scattered seeds is still going cheerfully.

Soon I'll switch on the fireplace insert and have a bit of heat for an hour in the morning. Later I'll need to use the house heat, but I hope each year to wait on that. 

Usually late October is the time I have to start actual heat. I like the low cost times of year, to balance the higher ones, this year from heatwaves.

And here's a tribute to dahlias, which I don't currently have but used to

Happy Thanksgiving, Canadian friends, Happy Indigenous Peoples Day, or just plain have a nice Monday. There. Inclusive!

Recorder to Freecycle

 I found from the friend I contacted about rehoming the recorder,  that the recorder chapter I played with for many years did not survive the pandemic. 

The demographics were against it, too, most members being quite old, and despite our efforts to attract younger people, the group didn't skew young, or even middle aged.

So I'm putting the recorder on Freecycle, because I'm not up for packing and shipping, and contacting the national org would involve a taker probably out of my region.

Assembled

Here taken apart for carrying. It has a lovely tone, and my hands aren't up for it now. Let's hope for a new home.  I'm still playing the other voices.

Ed note: recorder is set to go to a new home on Monday, to someone eager to play it, already involved in early music. I had to disappoint a few other people, quite a response.

So glad to hear from e that she and kitty Mercy came through Milton. They're tired, low in supplies, but, power finally back, okay and recovering. That means everyone I was worried about is now accounted for. 

I'm now reading 

where the main character is Marcellus  a Giant Pacific  octopus. Thanks for the suggestion, Liz, it's very readable,  especially to this octo fan. I just hope it doesn't have a sad ending. I usually avoid animal characters for that reason, none of those sad horse and dog books, noooo.

 

I spent most of the afternoon on the deck, pulling out the faded marigold and zinnia foliage. Season officially over. I did bring in coleus cuttings and started them in water.

 

Then I read Marcellus' story, and hugely enjoyed it. Lovely afternoon until evening and the mosquitoes had a word to say. The wind in the trees is different now the leaves are crisper, a different kind of music.

So mainly me and the chipmunks on the deck, tea and reading.

 Happy day everyone, enjoy whatever's up today.

If you're Canadian, Thanksgiving is up, happy Tday.

Postcards, walking and other events

The postcards are ready to mail early next week 

And Saturday, beautiful October day, almost hot in the afternoon, I walked to the pond and admired foliage and reflections.

And the random oak leaf tangled in other leaves

On the patio yet more flowers

And yet another bowl o' blooms.

Gary was doing everything everywhere all at once, wanting input on planting a tree and putting pavers around. Then a while later input on color choice for walls, to work with wallpaper and floor already in place. 

It's all a bit somber for my taste, but he loves dark shades.

Then I got to my stitching and finished the mottled leaf 

Mottled leaf sounds like a nightclub Bertie Wooster might go to.

Then, officially reading Tey's The Singing Sands, but in fact sleeping and even dreaming,  I woke to make a nice supper of steamed broccoli with an omelette on top. 

What a life of luxury, to be able to rest when I'm tired, take a walk without extensive planning and preparation, stitch without checking the clock. 

None of these was possible during the nine years of caregiving for dear Handsome Partner. I did it gladly, and now I'm glad of my freedom.

Happy day everyone, check what we take for granted, sometimes we're on velvet and don't realize it.