Textiles and Tea, cardboard carving, Billy and cherries

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea featured -- macrame! Not the plant hangers we all made way back, nor the bracelets we taught little kids to make. Take a look.

 He's a retired law professor, and though he says he sees the accuracy required here as similar to the accuracy and thoroughness of writing a brief, he also works freeform 

He doesn't plan his designs anywhere except in his mind, then lets the twine lead him -- I'm quoting.  These are about 18" - 30" across, depending on which board he sets them up on .  

Interestingly, he's been invited into a regional tapestry guild, because they see the similarities. It uses some of the knots and turns used in tapestry work. He's in weaving guilds too.

Meanwhile, cherry blossom just starting on the three patio bushes, so maybe this year I'll get fruit. Some years I get as many as a saucerful.

 Last year no blossom, so this is looking better.

And a beeping puppy play bowing next door, emitting sounds like a guinea pig -- meep, meep.

Meanwhile after a day off from carving on account of an encounter yesterday with the lavender bush, which got me in the eye while I was tipping the pot upright, I'm back. The eye was tearing and gritty feeling but no damage done, and today it's much better, emergency resolved 

So I was able to get back on this work and get a bit of progress. I need to wait till tomorrow for the next stage, because this really makes a person tired.

It needs a raking light to see it best, so here's a few attempts.

Seen here with her friends. Well, a handy thumbtack to use.

This often happens with my work, either black on black or white on white or all about texture needing a better camera. It's what the art wants. I'm just a helpless prawn here. Quite a pleased prawn though. 

This is a new skill. I had to learn to plunge the blade in to lift just the right amount of layers to expose the corrugations without going in too far and removing them. They're quite delicate. And they varied in adhesion in  different parts of the cardboard for some reason. 

Anyway I may be applying some of the tiny curly scraps I removed,  to form foliage on those trees in the mid ground. I'll try it tomorrow after the auto dealership trip.

And now Gary's installed the hallway light for me, and taken his puppy off to his granddaughter's dance class by special invitation. I got to play with Billy, the functional equivalent of cuddling a bundle of eels. Warm Puppy!

Happy day everyone, hope your lights are on in both senses.

You up for a puzzle?

Misfits, Freecycle, winnowing and Together -influenced food

 Yesterday the winnowing involved shoes. I hsve very few pairs,  one for winter walking and places where my feet will be under a table, one for more dressy requirements, one clean summer sneakers, one gardening SS. 

There's another pair for when dressy becomes walking and walking becomes trash. 

But I also had two pairs-in-waiting of nice corduroy boots. They were a repeat of another pair, so I just put them on the shelf ready, assuming they were fine. 

Yesterday I tried them to see if I'd like to wear them. And found this batch was so narrow I couldn't get my foot in. Probably a change of mfr. This has happened to me before with shoes made in China. At first fine, the next order cut so shallow impossible to insert a foot. And too late to find the paperwork for a refund.

Freecycle

Posted less than five minutes before  three requests arrived. By eight last evening they were in a new home. 

I had warned about the narrowness issue when I wrote the posting, so I hope the recipient has a narrower foot than mine and will enjoy them.

And, a bonus, I winnowed a reusable insulated bag to contain them, yay.

Maybe today will be about ragged paperback books which I have on my Kindle anyway.

Food yesterday was a sidebar from Together, using their recipe for berbere, they'd approve, with onions and garlic and greens, they'd approve, to make a tuna filling for pita, they'd approve.

Hot yesterday, second half-filled pita just warmed today, equally good. Definitely doing this again. It used up the last of my onions and garlic, so fortunately Misfits came over the hill

Complete, in perfect condition, and ready for various plans. I haven't had celery in a long time, so maybe salad, maybe soup, maybe both.

The yogurt is by far the best of the various brands I've tried, nicer consistency than Dannon, not waxy like that Greek stuff, cheaper than Icelandic but as good quality.

I always buy whole milk plain so I can use it in various ways. I find flavoured yogurts, except for the lovely mango I used to get at the Asian store that moved away, metallic with a nasty sort of aftertaste.  So if I want a flavor, I'll add it.

The box arrived after I got home from donating a couple of puzzles to the library puzzle-lending collection, where they were happily received, after a Monty Python type of bureaucratic sequence.

First person at circ. desk, the usual first stop said no, sorry we're not accepting donations. I appealed to the person next to her, who accepted my last donation, and he said, if it's puzzles, which he could see, we are, but not here. You need to go to the inquiry/reference desk .. which was two steps away, in fact she'd heard the dialogue to date.  I did so, saying I've been referred to you, which amused her hugely, and two puzzles from Rose are now in the collection. The Farmer's Market might be on the public puzzle table. 

I also overcame a fear Mary will probably relate to, about another bureaucracy, the state motor vehicle agency. Mary, I feel about getting my car in for inspection the way you feel about certain appointments.

I do know why though. The guys at the agency inspection stations are notorious for bullying and screaming at the women drivers bringing their cars in. They're more civil to men 

I've had awful experience, unable to hear and understand what they wanted, when it used to be a full-blown safety inspection. 

You couldn't make appointments, just had to wait in line, sometimes for hours, as they slowly got through the cars ahead. No way to leave, one car width between inspection equipment. And it was annual, by law.

 At some points you stay in the car operating lights, horn etc in the exact order they say, or shout, sometimes pull forward to have emissions equipment attached and run, sometimes drive forward fast then hit the brakes to test stopping distance. Sometimes you have to get out of the car, if they want to jack it up to see underneath,  sometimes stay in, bellowed at if you guess wrong. 

It was a whole lot of items, very good for vehicle safety, legally required annually. And a shattering experience. The inspectors were answerable to nobody.  

Successive governors tried to reform the process, fired all the bullies, and ended up with a new name for the agency, new logo and paint job. And new bullies. It seems to be the sort of job that attracts petty dictators.

So when they opened up private inspection options, at dealerships and repair garages, I started getting my auto dealer to do it, and any adjustments it needed in order to pass. 

I gladly paid the, pretty steep, fee. I could sit in the dealership waiting room with a cup of complimentary coffee and a bagel, while polite mechanics did the doings.

But now the inspection is for emissions only, much briefer, and I've been wondering if I should save money and brave the no-fee agency.  

After worrying about it a couple of days I called the dealership instead, and set up an appointment for next week, and added in a couple of routine checks while I'm there. I decided my peace of mind was worth the $.

Meanwhile back on the art front, I've calmed down and cheered up, and the head for the moment is guarding the cookbooks while I think about my plans.

 I suspect part of my upset was related to Covid coming next door, and the sight of my across the street neighbor looking terrible as she made her way to the car for yet more chemo. 

It's a gruelling period for her,  and she's so depleted it's hard to see. Little I can do other than the occasional text. She's been able to set up drivers to get her to her treatments in the absence of Gary, till he tests negative. The plan had been for him to drive. But I did feel very helpless and pulled down about it all.  You do, when you care about someone, You know how it is.  Then the art debacle, oh well.

Anyway, equilibrium more or less restored, have a good day, everyone, try to keep your balance when all around are losing theirs.

Poland is sending fighter jets and there will be drone jamming equipment for Ukraine, too. Especially in light of the Rxxxxn spraying and downing of a US drone into the Black Sea. Not retrieved, so they didn't gain much by downing it. 

And Ben and Jerry's true colors have come out, attacking Biden with lies online, and anti Ukraine propaganda. Another business on my don't go there list. I know they sold it, but I expect they still get some benefit. I had no idea they were so right-wing. They'd always portrayed themselves as hippie businessmen. 

 

Art has its downs, and Together helps

Yesterday was a mixture of struggling and temporary defeat on the art work.  Art is about coming face to face with yourself, among other things.

It's a journey and yesterday yielded some learning. The materials I have aren't going to work as hoped. I may have started in the wrong place by making the head, I may need to start over. differently.  I may need to use the head in a different artwork. 

Some scenes from yesterday

These are the sorts of disappointing things that happen. Art is not a straight line activity. So I have to explore yet more different materials in my search for this elusive big figure I've had in mind for so many years. And maybe the black robe with all the embroidery isn't a good match to the concept.. 

Meanwhile I may make other works using the materials I have, while Big Figure is in temporary abeyance. Not sure yet.

So that's where I am, tired,  disappointed, ready to continue though. I feel a bit like the heartbroken guy in Death of a Salesman, who says heartbreak is okay because you know you're still alive! 

Meanwhile Together gave me the guidelines for a terrific couple of meals.

Spicy lentils, greens and pita. A lot of ginger, garlic and berbere, and it's great. The recipe also made a tomato salad, but I didn't have tomatoes. It's a good cooling note with the hot lentils though. They used spinach which I didn't have, so I used cilantro, parsley and scallions, which worked fine. 

This is a kind of modular recipe. You can cook the lentils to go with other foods, greens likewise.  The greens, using fried onions then garlic and ginger, were especially good.

I used up the last of the berbere mix, so I'll make more,  from the Together recipe, which looks milder than the Marcus Samuelsson version I had made before. I think they may have adapted to what's available when you don't have an Ethiopian grocery. 

And here's the scene from the kitchen window of my early childhood, as of yesterday. Probably from the other side though.

Happy day everyone, hoping for a better one than yesterday! I mean, it's 3.14. Pi Day!

Snow, Purim and winnowing sub

 I woke early because the room was bright, and I got up to this

At last, enough snow for a picture. Today will be up to the 50s f, so it won't last long.

Yesterday's winnowing was replaced by a bit of cleaning, same principle, improving my surroundings. I noticed my ancient refrigerator, still working, was depositing condensation down the inside back wall. 

So I took out and washed the bottom  drawers and the floor under them and put everything back, much better now. Nothing actually left the house but I think this is a good substitute.  Cleaners don't usually clean inside items, or behind them, so there's usually a few things to do, even when you have cleaners. 

On winnowing,  today I'll turn ny attention to art materials, mainly frames.

Speaking of art, last night I dreamed about the current ArtShaped piece and how to do the next stage, very helpful. I also dreamed I was doing the work outdoors in a town square, with friends and blogistas and passers-by looking on and commenting.

I've done tapestry and other fiber art work  this way, in a library, public free to come and ask questions and tell me their European grandmothers used to do these things. But I don't think that's what will happen with this piece.

I do have some good ideas now for today's work on the head, and need to gather materials to start the torso. Dreams as studio assistants work a treat. 

Meanwhile a green powerhouse soup happened yesterday.

 

Vegetable stock simmering first, before spinach, chard, broccoli, scallions and yellow potatoes get involved, with cappellini in the last couple of minutes.

Then here's the chorus of spices. Baharat, black pepper, basil salt I mixed ages ago and finally remembered to use, za'atar.

Sprig of Thai basil, aromatic. Served with a half pita filled with sharp cheddar and toasted.

I also baked a batch of dried cranberry/ walnut muffins

 And here's one toasted for this morning's breakfast

If I'd remembered the day

I'd have made my favorite hamantaschen

Next time I bake, maybe. Happy day if you celebrate it, well happy season, really.

And now, more than ever

Winnowing, knitting related food, art break

Yesterday's winnowing, an angelwing begonia, now lives in the library where the knitting group meets. I grew this from cuttings.

Wrapped for travel. 

And the group chat today ranged over topics from naming babies to doing puzzles to cooking from today's Modern Daily Knitting MDK newsletter, which I did for lunch.

It was one of those times when the planets are aligned and you're reading email over breakfast, thinking idly about lunch, and in a unlikely place, a knitting newsletter, find a likely candidate. And you have all the ingredients for an interesting recipe right in the house. Here's how it worked out

 

The cast: chickpeas, onions, spinach, garlic, cilantro, parsley, ground turkey (meatballs from freezer)  leftover carrots added in why not. Mixture of turmeric, cayenne, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper. The recipe writer served with yogurt, I chose feta cheese crumbles.

 Three dinnersworth from the recipe. I suppose you could serve it over rice, too, if you chose. And there's other vegetables you could add in, tomatoes might be nice.

So this gave me strength to haul the plant out to the car, I'd brought it downstairs last evening, that was exciting, and Gary helped realign the car seat today to let the plant stand securely on the floor. She was well received at the library. 

Anyway, convergence happened. Cooking, knitting and winnowing. Just like the moon, Jupiter and Venus the other night. On a smaller scale, admittedly.

On the ArtShaped art front, here's where we are

There's the rough draft of the neck and the chest, using the container from the Misfits penne and one of  Rose's puzzle-containing boxes, just to see how the head sits. 

At this point I just leave it where I can see it while I think about the next stage. That's after I finish the head, which needs more covering. The diluted glue is working nicely, and the piece is still light in weight as I hoped.

But there are questions to consider before I continue, and a few days might be good at this point to just breathe.

And I can work a puzzle, yay 

Speaking of which, are you up for a Haggard Hawks for the weekend?

A full and lovely day, very late getting to blogging, but one thing and another, you know. Happy evening everyone, enjoy your weekend.