Resting Sunday

Today I'm trying not to spin, weave, knit, because my neck and shoulder are asking to rest. 

I'll walk and think.

Yesterday I made this, no idea what to call it, some sort of fryup. Spiced tuna, steamed broccoli, red lentil crumbs, bound with an egg, fried. Served with the rest of the apricot sauce 

You need plenty of spice here, and I added baharat to the already spicy ingredients. With the sweeter apricot sauce, good.

And since the very hot day Friday brought on the lavender scent, 

I cut a bunch for my neighbor. 

I do this each year, except last year there were no flowers at all, and I wondered if it had died. But this year it's back looking as fine as ever.

I was thinking recently about poet Padraig O'Tuama and his thoughtful newsletter, about our perception of time and other things. 

Here's a great new thought from him, which I'll pass on in his own words

And I have an example of art making something happen, not to me, but to an observer of my work, which then affected me.

This was years ago, when I had a local solo show titled Four Sisters, made in copper wire, black gesso and  metal upcycled items.

Most of the pieces suggested three sisters and an observer. None of my sisters made any comments on it though I had sent pictures of the pieces in the show.

Here's one, most of the show sold to collectors, so only a couple are here 

Then, years later, sister Dogonart said they'd all gone out for coffee and to look at the pictures. She said they kept wondering why it was called four sisters when they could only detect three people in the various works.

Then she said it suddenly dawned on her that the fourth was relegated to being an outsider, observing the group. The artist was the fourth, outside looking in. She was dismayed and said you must have felt you never had sisters. 

I suspect that's why I never heard from them about it, didn't even know they'd looked at the pictures. They got it.  They just didn't know what to say to acknowledge it. But one sister reached out, much later, as a result. 

That was the power of art, which words and my personal reaching out for many years,  had never achieved. It wasn't my intent at all. I was just creating a concept based on my experience, as artists do. So that came as a bonus.

In another context, here's an ink and wash if Four Sisters. 

It takes a bit of looking to find them all, a metaphor for the life of a large family, of which this was only half.  And any of these sisters could be any other, depending on circumstances. Identities and relationships are fluid. 

Do you have any experience where any art form, music, theatre, dance, painting, created an epiphany for you? Maybe you'd like to share? 

Happy day everyone, I'm off to walk in the sunshine. Trala!

Taking stock, and issue

 This is where the various bits of work are 

Today's weaving. I ran out of the dark green warp yarn and added in a dozen threads in the same color as the weft. That resulted in the interesting pattern you see. 

I'm currently spinning a different dark green, and a gold,  originally for knitting but maybe now for weaving.

And while I was waiting for supplies for socks, I started a pair of gloves

Then the sock supplies arrived and I happily cast on a new sock in this cheerful mixture color, named Fierce Flame

Yesterday I also had an exciting event when the front door curtain fell on my head. The hook had come out. 

So I called Gary, who, before I'd even finished my sentence, said I'll be right over. At a run. I think he assumed an emergency. 

He took a look at the situation and the anchors and screws, and said right now I have to get my car seen to. Then I'll come over and see to it.

Two minutes later back to say his front door is locked but the back door is okay for the dog to come and go. Two more trips back to his own house, and finally he got away.

Couple of hours later, back to say the water heater man is coming over, he'll come over after that. Arrived again to say the dishwasher man's now trying to fix the dw, meanwhile here's the muffin pan back, which he cleaned by hand, the dw not working. 

Then the water heater man is unable to track the problem, it works fine for him, maybe an expensive part needed, and he goes away to check. Meanwhile I suggest Gary check if it's still under warranty, seven years old, and now he's going to check.

Finally, after consulting with me about how to clean a sofa pillow Billy the Pup had dragged outside and played with, he replaced the ceiling screws and rehung the door curtain. 

I needed the curtain as a heat and light block, because temp went into the 90s yesterday, hottest on this date in nearly 100 years.

 So the curtain's back in action, after an afternoon's entertainment, and the temp is about 70f.

I shopped in person today, for local things I can't get from Misfits, bananas, molasses, cocoa, Panko crumbs, a basil plant, snd various other items which suddenly outgrew the big shopping bag. The checkout lady said sternly, "Always bring more bags than you need!" which I agreed with. 

And I was home before I remembered I'd forgotten to add capers to the list. Oh. I did get some very reasonably priced strawberries, jam quality, while I was at it, and they're in the freezer for when I remember sugar.

Speaking of commodities, I had also planned on a trip to Target. Then I found out they'd crumbled to right wing bigotry, so until they rethink, I won't be going there 

Fix it, Target, and I'll return.

Happy day everyone, pursue your activism however it works for you.  But enjoy anyway.

Me, I'm going to knit a Fierce Flame sock while catching up on Meredith Constant on YouTube, excellent researcher of current (royal related) events.

Good Things Day

 Yesterday brought good things. The Misfits box arrived

And here's the best Good Thing. Same amount and quality strawberries as the local farm, half the price 

I went to change my puzzle at the library, and had a lovely chat with the circ desk man about puzzles.  He told me what a great borrowing collection they have, including great donations! He didn't realize who brought them in! He's a puzzle evangelist.

Current puzzle, whimsical, just right for summer

Then home to get the mail, with

More supplies from the Sock Ministry, including a card showing an embroidery done by an earlier Sister at the convent, way back when they did fine church embroidery.

Look at the cheerful yarn colors! It's acrylic, completely washable, great for giving to people who don't have the luxury of handwash dry flat.

And here's what showed up in my timeline, speaking of embroidery

And I got my heddle all threaded, ready to go

And remember the dollar store seeds I got, very cheap? They're bustin out

After the obnoxious word puzzle, this is  a fun one.

Happy day everyone, knitting group today, let's see who turns up despite the beautiful weather drawing them outside.

Warping, White rabbits and Flaming June

 White rabbits, June is here

And Pride Month, ally signing in here

Yesterday's warping done, hoping I did the right number of warp strands this time 

Today I'll start threading the heddle

And fast food from leftovers

 Curried cod and broccoli, bound with an egg, in pita bread.  I bless the day I discovered wholewheat pita pockets.

Later today Misfits box arrives, but they were out of onions. Onions. Unheard of shortage.  Now I'm wondering how to manage. I may have to, horror, shop locally in person.  I've got used to the universe putting my groceries on my step now. 

Happy day everyone,  I hope you 'know your onions.  Also that the puzzle answer is

OBNOXIOUS 

We had a lot of fun with the clues to this one.

Billy the Pup wishes us all a good day 

Textiles and Tea, Karen Hampton, also clams

 Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured Karen Hampton, about whom I've written before, a wonderful woman, former anthropologist, 

Dr Hampton examined the (lack of written) history of black weavers in the American South, in order to retrieve the stories and add her own. Now, in retirement, she's a full-time weaver studying and expressing the history of weaving and her family.

She works in cotton and indigo, and other natural dyes, even visited a plantation in the course of her studies, which a lot of black weavers won't because of the history. But she believes you should look history in the face to conquer its hold on you.

She honors her ancestors from Florida, black and white and treasures what photos she finds recording them. She uses photo transfer images superimposed on her weaving, and echoes the repetition of Andy Warhol and other modern artists working in prints. And she uses symbols to record the brutal history of her family's endurance. 

Her work ranges from large to huge, and she says it will be bigger yet.

And she stitched this piece to honor her grandmother's dressmaking skills 

 Definitely a weaver to study and honor.

Then, several food related visits from Gary. His houseguest wanted to bake a batch of lava cakes before she left. 

This involved one visit to get three eggs. Then another to borrow the muffin pan. Then, later, another with a sample cake, pan to follow later.

Finally last evening, a shared dish of littleneck clams and lemon juice. He'd cooked them, and ran in with them still steaming.  He'd earlier come for ice cubes but borrowed my Misfits ice blocks instead. The clams explained why the sudden need for ice.

Never a dull moment! 

Happy day everyone, warping today, for skirt panel three. 

The air quality not being great, smoke from Nova Scotia fires this time, I may give the outdoor discussion group a miss. But a local trip to change my jigsaw puzzle might be on.

I'm glad the current word puzzle is being suitably annoying!

Banana suits, puzzles and Eine Saite

 Today I finished the current jigsaw puzzle, surprisingly tricky, because of the repetition of colors and shapes, but fun to do.

And this morning I completed the second panel of the skirt

It's much better work than the first one.

And I'm currently reading lighter material in the interludes  of reading Caste, which is very important, but harrowing

Here's a lighter touch, a fictionalized story of Clementine Churchill, political wife of Winston Churchill

and there's something I've been planning on bringing you for a while but didn't want squash in with other reports.

So here's Eine Saite, meaning a thread, a lovely blog, worth going to and enjoying and savoring

Cut and paste if the link's dodgy, blogger not always coming through.

Happy day everyone. Next I have to rescue the ficus which has been blown over five times now. The butterfly bush which was such a protection last year has been dramatically pruned, and the new fence can't be used to hitch the ficus as I used to with the old wood fence. And this spring has been very windy.

So I have to try yet another approach, involving cinderblocks to keep it not only upright, but straight, and in contact with the earth, so as to put down roots.

Enjoy your day, enjoy Eine Saite, keep your ficus going!

And here's a puzzle

And about the banana suit: it's worn to designate the pace runner for a race. Granddaughter was pacing for the 5K after her own marathon run, hence the suit. Now you know!