Painting a bit, Talking Heads and Boots Ahoy

Yesterday I took advantage of the new organizer, and lifted out the entire drawer of watercolor supplies. This works a lot better than assembling things every time.

Just messed about and had a lovely pointless time.  All the things available and I used very few. 

Finished crocheting the Boots. The pink yarn lasted till literally the last stitch. Then this morning I did the finishing and fitting.

And Pink Rabbit is back upstairs, booted. Here's Boots the Upstairs Bear admiring the summer icecream boots in action.

The Boot Crochet Shop is now closed before anyone else hears about it.

I watched the Thora Hird monologue from the Talking Heads series. It's confusing that the name is the same as the David Byrne group and I wonder who got there first. I'm guessing Bennett, since it dates way back.

It might account for the dislikes registered, probably people who expected Byrne and are confounded to find it's old Northern actors in brilliant form. 

I plan to watch more. They're difficult because so tragic, with funny sparks, but they're so well done. 

Happy day everyone. Mine has been less dramatic than this alert might indicate 

I live right in the middle of the red bit. No need to water today. I also got a phone alert. There's no standing water as of now, though we got a big downpour.

Ice cream boots and Alan Bennett

Too hot to be out much today other than watering flowers, and recycling, so I did exciting laundry and dishes, glad I'd got out walking recently. 

Today's about boots for Pink Rabbit, approved by her and in ice cream colors. Summer boots. Resistance boots.

Who knew I'd come to this? My hands are holding up pretty well to crochet and I'm needing to weave again. The warp weighted loom is on hold till cooler weather, another heatwave being promised next week.

Before the heatwave arrives,  Handsome Son is driving me to the dentist to complete the coronation.

 Then, while we're in the neighborhood, we're taking a trip we've been meaning to take for about a year, to the thriftie. I must remember to get cash ahead. I don't actually need anything other than a bigger teapot, but you never know.

The flowers are doing well but the split leaf isn't. I've now pushed it under the shade of the butterfly bush, because it's looking sun burned though I thought it was in shade. I may have to do some heavy pruning, but not till the weather cools.

Meanwhile the perennial black eyed susans are getting on fine with the visiting coleus, there's a meaning there.

The susans were rescues when a neighbor left, before the new owner finished ripping out the flowers to make the walkway neat. They're pretty robust, to have survived that,  and living with aggressive pachysandra. 

And the coleus is a descendant of a packet of seeds several years ago which has supplied several gardens and neighbors with plants. I think they're related to the mint family. Judging by their will to live, I'd say it's likely. Also that there's not much repeat business in coleus seeds.

This afternoon I found Alan Bennett monologues on YouTube, wonderful acting, do check.

I'm in search of more, because the acting is superb.

Thank you to the loyal blogistas who signed up and even show up at Boud's Glimpses. It's so cool, a new adventure using the tech equivalent of two cans and a piece of string. 

But I usually like the most primitive way of doing anything, why should this be different.

Happy day everyone, keep cool or warm as needed. But better take advice from someone who's not knitting boots for rabbits. I mean, people, who are you going to trust?

 We got this. Nineteen states, now including mine,  have now won their case against the feds suing to get voter information. 

States 19, feds 0.

And there's so many more victories that you won't see in the oligarch media.  Spirits up!

 

Good news, Lammas, and white rabbits

In case you want to know!

YouTube channel 

August is here. White rabbits 

It's Lammas, loaf Mass, celebrating the grain harvest, so my breakfast was a slice of wheat bread with home-made strawberry jam. Lammas acknowledged.

Here's the good news from NJ 

This is from my MOC Bonnie Watson Coleman's latest newsletter. John would be proud.

I made it to the pond this morning and created a couple of videos but did remember a still, and a selfie at the pond, proof of life, for blogistas.

This is the hat I made a while back, and I painted the shirt back when I was in my T-shirt painting period. It's my Aged International Spy outfit.

I spied fungi 

Meanwhile, Pink Rabbit, spurred on by certain blogistas and the appearance above of a white rabbit, hopped downstairs to press her claim on a pair of boots.  Ready to get all dramatic, see the Kleenex all ready to go.

She was rescued from a dumpster a while ago by Handsome Son who didn't want her but thought it was awful to toss a loved bunny. 

So I laundered and brushed and generally rehabbed her, and presented her with the bandana she demanded as soon as she looked presentable.

Now it's boots. I'm expecting picketing and Unfair to Pink Rabbit signs any minute.

Happy day everyone, do silly stuff, it's good for your head. Sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula.

Because 

 

Polls and the rabbit's eyeview

 When I got PR I thought at first I needed to supply an eye, before I realized there are two, but so far around her head you can't see them both together. Here's the mugshots

On the knitting front, I'm not sure I have enough yarn for two socks in the color I started with, so I'm adding in a different color for the heels and cuffs.

It's going along pretty cheerfully, now that I can listen more calmly to Prequel after good election results. And the Martin Walker police procedural ended very excitingly. 

I also realized I'm probably accidentally knitting up the yarn I had planned to weave for skirt panels. Doh. I'm going to revisit the skirt design. I have four panels and a pocket woven already, and some warm fabric for the rest of the skirt. So I think that's the next project. The weather's cool enough to think about it now. The stitching front needs a project now the wall hanging is done. Which reminds me to press it and see about the edges.

Speaking of excitement, you know the recent polls people were reading, claiming T***p was neck and neck with Biden, and getting all Henny Penny the sky is falling,  about? 

Aside from being simply silly to take seriously any poll a year out, this is enough to cool everyone's jets. Media is longing for the income they get from a close race, so it's in their interest to present it that way, by any means necessary.

Folks, don't be intimidated by propaganda presented as polling. Please. I'm old, I've seen a lot of this stuff in different countries I've lived in, and I may be cynical, but I think it's realistic to read poll results with an intelligent scepticism.

I have a new jigsaw puzzle under way, and, when I returned the last one, had an interesting chat with the library guy, about who likes the collection, how it's booming, especially the public puzzle which now has followers who come in to work it for hours, and people who like me, put in a couple of pieces.  Rose, he sent you thanks for your donation, said you really helped get the collection going! 

The new puzzle is an Audubon bird pic. I notice I tend to choose animals, birds and plants, usually from photographs. Nowadays there's plenty of choice in the collection. It's caught on.

Happy day, everyone, stay hopeful and thankful, if possible. Today's misfits box will have a couple of Thanksgiving items, part of our simplified meal.

Prequel, US election day, Pink Rabbit demands her due

 To get a good hold on the rise of Nazism and fascism in the US and elsewhere, I hugely recommend

Her research is impeccable, and she narrates with such good humor that this heavy scholarly work is very accessible. It's an important and timely backstory to what's going on.

It also has some surprises to me -- I never knew architect Philip Johnson was a keen fascist. I only knew of his IMHO rather silly, gimmicky buildings. And Huey Long did good works as well as developing the iron grip of a Louisiana dictator.

It's good to be reading this today, election day in the US.

So yesterday, I finished, pretty much, the wall hanging, which I've changed in progress. 

Now it's trimmed around, and, unless I get more ideas, it's done. I have spare applique blocks which still need a home, but no rush.

And I cast on a sock for me.

Because I'm listening to Rachel Maddow, when I'm not listening to 

A rattlin' good story, and a change of pace, to France and cultures and tourism and women's rugby and mysterious death and great regional food.

Pink Rabbit, known to new friends Fred and Ursula as PR, had a word, pointing out that Ursie has a custom hat and Fred's scarf, Fred has boots, and PR has nothing, sigh. 

So she now has a silk scarf which she wears with panache. She can wear it like a hat when she wants a change of pace. 

Happy day, everyone! Let's hope for the best today.

Food help, feminist Tudor history, comfort for dark days

 It's the time of year when we think, if briefly, about people who need to use food banks. I used to run a holiday food drive and get my local chapter of the embroiderers guild to donate. People like the feelgood of giving actual food. In fact $$ is better, because the director knows how to spend it, and can get more by arrangements than we can shopping retail.

However, if people are hellbent on donating things, I'd refer them to the local website. Here's my local food pantry this week

Notice that condiments are listed, because cheap food, like pasta, needs something, to be palatable. A lot of plain food is improved with a bit of help, but if you can't manage food, you certainly can't afford pepper, or ketchup, or other spices.

And personal care items are beyond the reach of many people, but they, like anyone,  need to be presentable. It's good to realize that the vast majority of food pantry users are working, and attend to their appearance like any other worker.

Anyway these are just a few thoughts. I sent my quarterly check yesterday, with reminders on my calendar for the next couple of quarters. People are hungry year round, particularly in summer when school meals stop.

On to Pink Rabbit. I think this is why I couldn't pass her by

This haunting true story of Kerr's  Jewish family escaping Germany when she was a little girl, trying to understand leaving everything suddenly, with just a suitcase, why her pink rabbit hadn't made it, stayed with me. I thought of it as soon as I saw the shabby pink rabbit in the free cycle box.

Kerr became a world famous children's writer and illustrator, remember "The Tiger Who Came to Tea"?

If not, check it out, it's lovely. Anyway this is why Pink Rabbit is named this way.

And, more grownup reading, I've started this interesting history of the six wives, with attention paid to their stories and ambitions, not the usual men's viewpoint of events. 

It's worth reading, to round out our understanding of the period. It's one I'm interested in, because the reformation has literally touched my own life and is part of why I live here rather than my country of birth. History isn't just the past. 

It hasn't escaped my notice that I'm writing this on the Fifth of November, A night when people in the UK celebrate the torture and murder of a Catholic, one of my people, at this very time. We Catholics never went out on Guy Fawkes night.

Meanwhile, this has been a dark blog post, but here's  comfort food for darker nights, mac and cheese.

I used chickpea flour for the cheese sauce, and find it needs more milk than ap flour. 

Happy day everyone, whatever time it is where you are!

Photo AC

Surprise quilting and Pink Rabbit takes a bath

 Yesterday at the other, non-gallery, library, where the knitting group meets, there was a bonus, a show of hand quilting, which I had to show you.

This library only has an entrance corridor and a small glass case for art, no way to hang a show interestingly, but here's the current exhibit, overcoming the space.

KO

The bottom picture includes the bags in the glass case. If you're local to West Windsor, go take a look.

And the knitting group yielded this shawl by Serena, who's doing a kind of renovation and repair of a section she wants to improve.

It's alternating strips of mohair and merino singles, with feather and fan.

And here's a comfy knitting setup, everything to hand, as M gets to the end of an Icelandic wool sweater

And I finished my socks 

So now I can parcel up and send the gloves and socks for the Glove 'n Sock Ministry and turn my attention to other projects. 

I've redesigned the wallhanging a bit,now nearing completion, and I'm going to get back to the woven and sewn skirt. 

Meanwhile Pink Rabbit took a bath and is now sitting on a heat register to dry, looking quite a bit better than she did.

Get that baleful glare

We'll find a place with the bears once she's dry.

The puzzle is coming along but I'm still darkly suspicious about pieces missing.

All kinds of interesting sea animals, including a turtle, maybe a geoduck.

Happy day, everyone, enjoy the day before the US clocks change. Again. And upset everyone. Again.