Today I felt tired but still, oddly, did a lot. I was out very early making videos after the overnight downpour left everything covered in diamonds.
Later I walked but not very far
Then food safety -- strawberry jam
I've been in touch with Misfits Market, who assured me that NONE of the cyclo suspect foods ever got into Misfits, that Taylor Farms had removed the suspect lettuces anyway, and that they were on top of it, all that. They talked me off the ledge. But I'm not taking any chances just yet.
I macerated and simmered all these beautiful organic peaches and plums
Custom grated fresh nutmeg to add in, that wonderful smell reminds me of my mom making egg custard, always grated nutmeg fresh over it.
While that was happening I took all the July drawings and paintings and assembled them into a book. Here's the Book of July 2026.
Standing up. Since the left hand pages, the backs of the work, are blank I may write in them. TBD.
And while I was being busy outside, I noted that the morning glory is finally underway.
This is a good proof of concept, because I just let it self seed last year and since it's flowering it will seed again, so I think it's getting established.
While I was admiring flowers I picked a new bunch, I mean bouquet, posh
And I organized the workbasket under the coffee table which has TBD items, and finally stitched up the front of the slippers I made months ago.
They only needed a few stitches at the opening to tighten them up a bit. It took five minutes including finding the needle and matching the yarn.
Boots the upstairs bear, approved
However his sidekick Pink Rabbit is looking at me a bit sideways, and evidently campaigning for boots, too. Hm.
About the short videos. This is really new art direction for me now that I've managed to get my meager devices sitting up and taking names.
Like all art, a video is not a picture of something nor a story about something. It's an experience, which has an arc -- a beginning, a middle, and an end. In this case it's movement within a short time frame, 20-30 seconds max.
This all sounds a bit highfalutin, but bear with me, it's my jam. With each video I'm looking right now for either a dramatic beginning, as in the hibiscus one, or end, where the thing is in your face. As in the butterfly, and the maple foliage.
And as I explore more, not the boring tech, the actual potential of this limited visual experience, I'll see where I get.
What I'm doing is inviting people to just look. Breathe, look. If 20 seconds sounds short to you, it's a heck of a lot longer than people usually pay attention at one time. It's more than the glance we often give.
I don't want to distract with music, maybe once in a while I'll say the title, I'll see. And the art of presenting it will either succeed in holding attention or not.
Meanwhile it's compensating me for the demise of knitting, so there's that.
Happy day everyone, do all the things. Or delegate them, if you can.
Oh, those peaches and plums! What a nice stash for the freezer (it looks like a vast quantity).
ReplyDeleteYay morning glories! (If anyone is concerned about invasiveness, these are Grandpa Ott annual morning glories, not the invasive perennial ones. They do self-seed vigorously, but Boud has enough groundcover that competition should keep them to a reasonable number).
Your video shorts are a breath of fresh outdoor air. It'll be interesting to watch your subject matter change as the seasons change. And yes, it's a new art form to play with.
Chris from Boise
Around here the winters ensure that morning glory doesn't become invasive. Not a problem. We don't even have much bindweed.
DeleteThank you for the nice words about the videos. I'm
very encouraged by the loyal blogistas checking the YouTube channel, thank you.
Ha! Or delegate them if you can!
ReplyDeleteWhen SG and I had our hotel together, he was awful at writing messages on the message pad. Messages were written on scraps of paper that got lost in his mess. When I lectured him on the importance of writing the messages correctly (and how to do so), he said, “I had people for that!”
My late husband used to brag that he managed just fine without ever using a computer. At work he had assistants for that. At home he had me!
DeleteGroan. SG had academic information technology under his purview, so he at least knows how to use a computer. But I seem to be king of the drudgery.
DeleteTo be fair, I think Pink Rabbit should get some boots, winter will be there again one day.
ReplyDeleteWhose side are you on around here?
Deletefinishing five minute jobs is so satisfying!!
ReplyDeleteIt's also a cause of wonder: why didn't I just do this months ago?
DeleteI love the photo of you in your slippers and Boots in his! I vote for Pink Rabbit to get some boots too.
ReplyDeleteI see the Pink Rabbit Lobby checks are arriving. Alright, alright, alright, I'll make some.
DeleteYou accomplished a lot in all of those minutes!
ReplyDeleteI remembered to bookmark your YouTube videos so I can find them easily. I like how you explained your thought process. Fancy!
You're such a rewarding reader, thank you. There's a new vid up. I thought people might like to know there's a point in what I'm doing with the short form videos.
DeleteIt’s good to be safe. That bad produce did not reach our land, thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely vigilant with food always, even when there's no current scare.
DeleteI think your July pages are truly lovely. Very, very nice.
ReplyDeleteI swear- it so often takes me longer to do the find-the-needle-and-yarn-and-thread-the-needle thing than it does to do the actual project. My tools are NOT well organized. Okay. My tools are not organized. Period.
I'm glad you've found a new art interest. That's such an important part of your life.
Thank you for the nice words. I really enjoyed those little paintings and drawings. Let's see what happens in August. I agree, assembling needle and yarn is a large part of the actual doing. And yes, always forward movement in art. There's no doing something because you're used to it.
DeleteI will go back for your video link, which I believe you posted previously, but you might want to repost it again for others. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteNice thought. I can't create a live link from here, but I've edited the header. It was time to update it anyway, so thanks for the nudge.
DeleteI've inserted a link in the upcoming post, too. My phone will do what the tablet mostly won't.
DeleteI watched your shorts yesterday and enjoyed them. Now that you explained you intention I will enjoy them even more.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I've now written a brief explanatory post, but since I'm still floundering there, I'm not sure where it t is. If you see it, let me know. I don't know, I only work here.
DeleteIsn’t it always the way. We put something down thinking we will finish it later, but later never comes because it just seems like we don’t have time to do it just yet.
ReplyDeleteThen you actually sit down to finish and it’s mere minutes and you think “ well that didn’t take long at all” and wonder why you left it so long.
Nail, head, bang!
DeleteYour little July art book is charming. I wonder if you could create some smaller works and mount them on the backs for the month of August?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing that amazing coleus in your latest video. I don't think I've ever seen one quite so healthy!
Oh dear - I can see a problem arising over socks. I'm sure the Dollivers will want to get in on the act too.
That's a clever idea for August, especially since I seem to be all about miniaturizing these days. The Dollivers are in retirement. They're all wearing the lovely straw hats I made them, too.
DeleteColeus do well out of doors. I bought a packet of seeds several years ago and I'm still getting descendants. And one lives next door.
I like how you think about art and the videos.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I did want to make the point that they have a point.
DeleteThe book is lovely but I was interested you didn't make one of your concertina types to display the art. I'm surprised the morning glory isn't all over the neighbourhood; it self seeded wildly and uncontrollably the last time I tried growing it.
ReplyDeleteI was in a mood to make a classic style book. This particular species of morning glory doesn't go wild. In fact any mg is not easy to grow here at all.
Delete