The day started well, anyway

Here's the breakfast of pancakes from this morning.  I used the pastry flour, and they are light and very delicate, really good.  The first two, as usual with pancakes, not very shapely, but the last is fine, as you see.  I didn't put sugar in the batter, so they're neutral, and I can use the rest of it as a savory, or, like here, a breakfast with a bit of sugar sprinkled on.  Sometimes I like a spritz of lemon juice, too.

And is it now amazingly, one year since the Great Winnowing, when I reduced the contents of my house considerably.  Here's what used to be a jammed art studio

And, after giving masses of materials to artists and students, here's what I kept in a walk in closet

And I can say I literally have not missed a single item I gave away in the Winnowing.  Of all the clearing, only a tiny bag was suitable for the garbage.  Everything else was given or recycled. Several carloads, to be exact.

And here's a picture to accompany a request for input.  This is the nest and eggs pin I created from the cashmere goat fiber donated by Quinn last year.  I spun and crocheted and felted it to make this little pin.

Today I was offered a bag of dog hair from a friend's beloved Belgian Malinois, who died in early 2020.  I plan to spin it mixed with other fiber, and will possibly get just a few yards of yarn.

What I'm looking for are suggestions on what I might crochet or knit or weave with that small quantity, with a gift to the owner in mind.  I think she might like a memento of her much-missed dog. When I was doing the cashmere goat hair, blogistas came up with all sorts of suggestions, which eventually led to my making the seasonal nest with eggs, it being Springtime.  So please think again and see what we can come up with now?

And here's my new exercise program, which looks exactly like a bunch of scarves, which it is.  Silk to be exact, very lightweight.  The idea is to bend down, pick one up, then with a fluid, graceful (!) large movement, toss it, catch in the other hand. Repeat and return. Chiffon or silk are the best choices, because they float in the air, so you have a chance to focus on them and catch them.

It's good for eye-hand, not a big need for me, for balance, this is a need, and for large coordination, which is a desperate need for me, mine being fair to lousy. A friend with serious health conditions which I don't have, has started this at the recommendation of her physical therapist, for improving movement and keeping shoulders supple as well as maintaining and improving balance.

So I did this today, and was able to catch and throw just fine with my left hand, but was all at sea, unable at first to catch, with my right hand. No surprise there, since my left is always my throwing and catching better side.  But once I got the hang of it, my right hand did a bit of catch up.  And it did open up my shoulders nicely without strain, and was generally quite a bit of fun to do.  I could pretend I was being fluid and graceful, anyway.  Always good to vary exercise so you don't get bored and stop.

So that was the first part of the day, which went very well.  Then I thought I'd go out and start the car and let it run a few minutes while I went to the mailbox. That's where the day got away from me.

The car was totally dead.  Not clicking, not cranking, absolutely nothing.  Used both keys in case it was a battery problem in one of the fobs.  Nothing.  Heaved a sigh, and went for the jump starter kit.  Attached it, got the green light, fully charged, tried to start. Nothing whatever.

Appealed to neighbor, who came and tried with his starter kit.  Nothing.  Cleaned the terminals of corrosion, nice and clean, tried again. Nothing.  Called mechanic, tried horn, nothing, lights, nothing. I called the dealership who said they could do nothing unless I got it in to them, I needed to get a towing company. Neighbor said, nah, let's not yet.

He brought out the big guns, charged it off his pickup truck, and after lengthy effort, it finally turned over and ran.  We left it for fifteen minutes, and he offered to take it to his own mechanic this evening, get his partner to follow in a car, so he could get home, mechanic would look at it this evening.

So that's where things stand right now.  Car is at an undisclosed location with a mechanic trusted by neighbor who knows all about cars, and its fate is as yet unknown. Brand new battery was working fine yesterday.  After forcible starting, working fine again today. But I can't be doing this every few days! And I'm not pleased that the dealership was so quick to just replace the battery without looking for any causes why the previous one was weak.  They assumed that it was at the end of its life.

So that part of the day was a downer, other than the huge generosity of neighbor spending most of his afternoon and evening working on it, then delivering it to the mechanic. And came home to chocolate walnut cupcakes to cheer them both up a bit.

Son brought groceries and stayed to eat chocolate walnut cupcakes and drink tea and sympathize.  I really felt very catered to today, despite all, what with two neighbors attending my car and son attending my grocery needs.

Breathing now, and suspecting whatever's wrong, it's not covered.  But I'll be glad to have an operating car. Again. And I think I may have found a good mechanic.  But, as always, we'll see.