Thoughts about stitching and Fox and plants

Yesterday was all about laundry and changing sheets and making yogurt and asking the FCC to lift Fox's licence.

Once the laundry was done and the yogurt started,

I had planned to go pick grass to make into ink. Another time I'll explain that. Then while I was busy indoors, the landscapers got busy outdoors, cutting the grass so low I can't pick it yet. 

So, in the time now freed up,  I did a bit online, found the FCC (Federal Communication Commission) in charge of conferring and rescinding US transmission licences for broadcast and cable, has, very unusually,  opened comment on Fox's licence renewal, in response to a public petition.

Fox News (!) as you know, has been purveying flat out lies, particularly about the 2020 election, has lost all its defensive court cases, and a petition has been accepted by the FCC to review its licence. I'm particularly incensed that it's the preset 24/7 station on American military bases. 

So while the milk for yogurt was cooling, I did my bit. As you see, it landed and I have the receipt

This is how I got there. You go to their website, follow the prompts and get to a place to create and send your comment. The docket is Fox.

I imagine it's open to anyone in the US. People are not aware, at least I wasn't till yesterday,  that they now have this unusual right to create their own comment on whether Fox should have its licence renewed or denied, and it's a significant first. 

This is a great chance for good people to do something! Please do. Kitchen table activism. Not many people know about this yet, judging from the numbers of comments filed to date.

In other exciting news, I think this post should have an excitement alert, might be too much for nervous people, I cut the base of the morning glory, after it stopped raining.

I retrieved the potting soil, which I'll remix for other plants, and when the morning glory has withered, it will be easier to remove.

and I moved the coleus out front for a while before it comes indoors to become a houseplant. I'll repot it in this bigger pot, using some of the soil from the mg.

Here it is in an arrangement with the Russian sage, failing a bit this year, after many years of domination.

And I found a new, very cute, physio online with exercises I've started yesterday, all about stretching and staying flexible, at this point as useful as staying strong.

The first was calf stretches, which I already do, so I'll continue. Then there's this great one for my neck issues

And a multi part approach to being able to get up from the floor

You can find him on YouTube, you see the name of his practice in the pictures. Another Australian, I think. I've got all the best physio help from Australia, seems to be the motherlode.

A sad goodbye last night to my entertainment center

My little white tv, still able to run video cassettes, and plugged in to the DVD player on the right, under the lamp, running my collection of DVDs and the current library borrow of Suits, is no more. 

It's about 30+ years old, and has been in failing health lately. Last night it gave a little sigh, switched off and there was a burning smell. Thank you old friend, yes, you did spark joy. Hours of it.

So I've ordered a portable DVD player, the kind with a screen, and I'll offer my old player on free cycle, because it's working fine, and find some way to dispose of the old tv. It's very small, so not a big issue.

I will also have a free surface, the top of the antique washstand the setup was on,  for stuff, maybe a table scape. TBA.

The stitching continues and this morning I got a great idea for the whole thing: instead of a backing, a fronting! A piece of fabric with many varied, organic shaped, cutout windows revealing all the blocks, reverse appliqued. This could be very cool, and it will  have sashiko stitching, attaching the front layer to the stitched blocks.

Anyway meanwhile

Here's where we are. The latest block is in progress.

Happy day, everyone, look out for incoming ideas, they're everywhere!

Textiles and Tea, and a timely thought

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea was a many generation southwestern weaver, Emily Trujillo, who not only weaves rugs as modern takes on traditional designs, but teaches, researches, and keeps up the knowledge of her family's long traditions. 

Many of the traditions and history are oral, and in danger of being lost without people like Emily keeping them current.  They work in wool, formerly churro, but now in the wool from other sheep breeds as well, since they're available.

The program was shot at the family gallery where she works with her parents, to make and sell their  traditional and modern rugs.

Yesterday I overdid some gardening, took out the last of the day lily foliage, several armloads, and hauled it in several trips to the trees to toss. The place looks better, but I was so tired I fell asleep several times in the afternoon, including during Textiles and Tea, but I got the gist. Last night I had to get up for ibuprofen to fix the gardening pain in my legs, should have remembered that earlier. 

Today I planned on another bit, removing the morning glory, to make a pathway to the ficus,  which has to come in soon, but it's raining. This is probably good, stops me from overdoing it again. 

I did arrange with Handsome Son to help when it's time to bring the ficus in, because that involves cutting the roots she put down, possibly root-pruning and replacing soil in the container,  then wrangling an eight foot tree across the deck and the threshold into the living room, into her saucer. Up to now I've done it solo, but I think this year I'll get HS on the team.

Stitching is progressing too slowly to show you anything, but here's a bunch of flowers.

And a timely reminder

We're not all in this together, as I used to say during the pandemic. I  took issue with my regional library putting up cheery we're all in this together tweets. 

I made them stop bragging about their library staff's great performance. They were all kept on salary and benefits, working from comfortable homes with their families. No, not in it together, but rather very privileged.

After I pointed out rather forcefully that a lot of people were frontline workers, dealing daily with the public before vaccines appeared, in jobs that couldn't be done from home, and were only paid for face time, including Handsome Son,  they toned down the rhetoric. 

As did a couple of librarian friends who had been so sheltered they never thought they were lucky. Ordering in food -- who did they think was picking, packing,  delivering? And so on. 

Anyway, I don't claim never to have failed to notice my privilege, guilty, too, but trying to do better.

Happy day, everyone, I hope for the safety of the people in hurricane paths, and ask you to check in as you can, so we know how you're doing.

Of tea and flowers and feathers and lawbreaking, et cetera

Walking is easier in the suddenly much cooler days, the grey skies making colors pop, and this year I notice greater carpets of yellow sorrel

And a blue jay feather, which I brought home. 

It's against the law to own wild bird feathers in this State, such an outlaw. I hope the feather police don't check my coffee table.

At home again I'm trying a different blend of tea

and find this is exactly like my mom's tea. I must have hit on her choice. The leaves are much smaller and it's snarlingly strong, not much required. I think this is my comfort tea of choice now.

Speaking of which, shakshuka has become a comfort food of choice, also what I make when I can't think what to make. 

This time I used spinach and celery leaves as a base,  and canned diced tomatoes. It was a bit liquid, so I siphoned some off for use in future spag sauce, and ended with the best version I've made up to now.

And, since Handsome Son suddenly announced he was visiting yesterday afternoon, I baked a batch of blueberry and cranberry muffins, since I had nothing to offer him. I'm happy with just honey toast, but he's not a fan.

I also broke it to him that I'm not up to cooking elaborate meals, such as Thanksgiving any more, and he was disappointed, but amenable to take out, as long as we did Tday and other holidays one way or another. 

Years ago I would cook a three course meal weekly for us, when he was going through a difficult unemployment period. I went to monthly after he got settled, and between the pandemic and advancing age with retreating energy, I usually nowadays offer him a little something with a pot of tea. 

We did keep up a bigger deal for Easter, Tgiving and Christmas, but last year I moved to having us serve ourselves from the stove instead of a fancy table setup. I think I'm ready for an even simpler way to save energy, just buy takeout.  

This way we can enjoy the company without my getting worn to a thread. Self care rules! Not that he's demanding, in fact for the holidays he always brings parts of the meal. But I need a break.

We already started  simplifying by having pizza to celebrate handsome partner's birthday, and I'm doing Bad Food for Labor day next weekend. 

Bad Food, meaning things we never normally ate, became a tradition with Handsome Partner, for July Fourth and Labor day, usually hot dogs with everything, potato chips and that.

I haven't been in the mood for a couple of years, but I'm doing it this year, and Handsome Son might join me, depending on his work schedule, which he won't know till the weekend. So I think we're easing into easier ways for me.

The stitching is continuing, and I'm doing a variation on applique, using the stumpwork technique of button hole stitching round the shape,  then cutting out around the stitching. 

Then I'll mount another smaller shape, in green,  on this one, then apply the result to the blue backing.

Speaking of stitching, I realize that the knotted candlewick technique described by Caro isn't the candlewick I was talking about. This is the thing I meant.

I couldn't track down more info on it.

Seems that there are two techniques using the same name. The version I mean was used for warm robes and bed spreads, usually in white, using multiple soft cotton thread cut into tufts, exactly like the kind of soft threads used in candles, hence the name. The other, knotted version,  is pretty, and new to me.

While we're thinking puzzles anyway, Haggard Hawks finally produced a new one, yay

Funny clues please!

Happy day everyone, self care is the current mantra all round!

Hosed! And other ways I've been kept in stitches

Gary left me with instructions to water the couple of houseplants on his patio while he's away -- they're under an umbrella for shade, so rain doesn't help -- so yesterday I thought I'd do so.

He'd left the hose helpfully where I could find it, said he'd set it up all ready for me. This is Gary, so the hose is high tech. Couldn't get it going for ages because the spigot is all changed from my simple wheel turn on. 

I finally found that the solid, immovable thing on the spigot was the on switch. It took both hands, both thumbs, to shift it far enough to open the line.

Whereupon the hose leapt up off the fence, and sprayed the operator, while I was trying to get hold of it. This happened a couple of times before I got through, because I decided to pull it further and water my flowers and herbs, and this hose has a mind of its own, especially when filled with water. 

Way back there, past the corn patch and the other obstacles, are the houseplants, two, his main concern.

But the sedum outside his fence is alive with bees of all nations, very good sign.

And, home and dried off, I made the first move to keeping tfg off the NJ presidential ballot, with this tweet to our Secretary of State. It's intended to encourage other people online to do likewise. Ballots, even for federal elections, are set up by State and County, so that's where you need to apply the pressure

Now here's an interesting thing. I tweeted this, using the correct term, disqualified, and the name of the candidate. Twice. Each time it was published and immediately vanished. This tweet uses different terms, and it stayed up. I did a screenshot anyway, for insurance, and I've posted it to Spoutible as well as here.

 In NJ the State board of elections seems to be part of the State division reporting to Secretary Way, but I'll also be in touch with my County.

In other news, here's where the stitching is. The most recent, bottom right, is veering into Arp territory, Google is your friend.

And I'm just sayin', in view of my little contretemps with Twitter or whatever it's called now, computers being the tool of modern astronomers' choice

Happy day everyone, and remember for evil to thrive, all that is needed is for good people to do nothing.  Please do something:  contact your Secretary of State, expats can do this too, and ask for tfg to be disqualified from the ballot for the 2024 presidential election. Your light and mine are little, but together they're powerful.

Photo AC

Take my word for it photography, and Fall soon

This is one of many attempts to capture, with a low level phone,  one of the clearwing hummingbird moths busy in the butterfly bush near me.  Lovely afternoon on the deck. They're there, they are. But you can just enjoy the greenery.

And here's the current collection of applique blocks. We'll see when they're all finished, this is about a third, how they need to be arranged.

Fall is in the offing, still lovely 80° sunny days, less humidity today. My energy, MIA lately, may return

 Meanwhile, the puzzle answer is, drumrroll

THATCH!

And while I'm in corny mood

Then, here in the Northern chunk, it's Sunday so I'll observe it

Happy day, everyone, be irreverent, it's more fun.