Early one morning, no knitting, no ICE tracking

Definitely a deck day, up to 80°f this afternoon. Meanwhile nobody's up for knitting today, which actually works fine because the sock, now officially at the heel, needs to be done without chatting. It's a different heel than I'm used to, so it's new learning. I'll get it done at home.

And for people unfamiliar with English folksongs about rotten men deserting nice women, same old, same old (!), here's that Early one Morning song I referred to yesterday.

I think I need to write a bread baking version though.

On the subject of male supremacy, I've been reading recently about another way to approach the patriarchy, rather than smashing it. Confrontation is dangerous, but quiet quitting is effective and starves the assumptions instead of fighting them.

I've been doing this for years, I realize. No leaping in to help a man feel better, or deflect his anger, and no stepping aside on the sidewalk so he doesn't have to. It's fine. Just let him deal with his own stuff. Not offering the extra step to save him the trouble. Not doing his emotional labor.Not taking the bait, just letting a silence happen. It's dignified and it works. Not right away, but over time. Reclaiming our time. I'm a woman and I endorse this message.

In another issue involving fighting the good fight, I found that ICE is using auto plate numbers to track and harass peaceful protesters, accessing State DMV files. Please if you're in the US, write immediately to your governor protesting, if your state is complicit, or supporting, if they aren't. I just did.

And this explains a little of my continuing hope and optimism despite all the ygughhvghg going on hereabouts

Happy day, everyone, especially e, and I'll be back later with Textiles and Tea. This post is getting a bit top heavy. Here's a bit of embroidery to tide you over!

Striped spirals and getting dressed

I've noticed that I feel slothful until I'm dressed for the day. Even today when I fixed breakfast, aired the bedroom, changed the bed, laundered and dried and put away the bed linen, and cast on a sock. It didn't seem to count because I was still in a bathrobe.

Anyway here's the sock in question.

It's a tube design by Noreen Crone -Findlay, usual better known for tiny weavings and fantasy mixed media figures in a range of materials than for knitting designs. She recently had a big art exhibit in Edmonton, Alberta. 

This design has a long Icord arrangement as a cuff, quite fancy and I made a double rib instead, more practical for the Sock 'n glove Ministry. 

There's an odd number of stitches, which creates a spiral as you knit 6, purl 2, forever. No heel turn, because it shapes itself on the foot. But there is a shaped toe.

I've made several pairs of these over the years, as gifts, and the wearers attested to the skidproof effect of the spiral shapes. It's also fun to knit.  Hard to stop, between watching stripes and spirals emerge at the same time.

I'm walking nowadays in those boots you watched me stretch a while back. They're taking on my foot shape with wear now, and I need them because soon I'll be back to walking to the pond. 

Right now it's impassable, storm debris, snowdrifts, but soon I'll be able to get there for signs of spring. Or late winter. With pictures. Meanwhile I'm keeping up, and trying to improve, my stamina. It goes away fast if you don't pay attention.

Happy day everyone, pay attention to what you like to! There's no attention police. Yet, anyway.

On the resistance front I've written to my senators insisting they vote against the confirmation of the proposed surgeon general, basically chief doctor of the US. 

Usually it's gifted, real medical doctors and researchers who are appointed to this job.  This one is Casey Means who never completed medical training and is an online "influencer".  Not even slightly qualified. 

Nearer home, ICE just bought a giant warehouse for a concentration camp, in Roxbury Township NJ. There's already resistance, and I think local zoning and infrastructure issues might stop it. I wrote to my senators anyway, to increase the pressure.

ICE is promising revenue and jobs to the township, without mentioning the huge expense involved in basic utilities, water, sewage, heating, road usage, and the sheer criminal act of imprisoning over a thousand innocent people in their town.

There's an interesting political twist, too, since Tom Kean Jr, an apple who fell far from his decent father's tree, is the House GOP  member for the district. 

He will not want to be smeared with the rep of supporting a hugely unpopular ICE initiative. NJ already has all kinds of anti ICE bills moving through the State Legislature. And he has quite a bit of competition this time around for the upcoming Federal election.

Late edit: a friend nearer the action says Roxbury town council voted against it and HS is now denying they knew it was for ICE.  Sure, Jan.

Our senators are already on it, and ACLU.  Stay tuned. Never a dull moment, sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony.

No matter what shenanigans they get up to in Kansas. ACLU is on that, too.

About Pony, Misfits and insurance

I had quite a few suggestions for names for Pony:

Polly 

Pollyanna 

Dapper

Sweetie

Stitches 

Penelope

Percival 

Poindexter 

Pedro

Pooky 

Zipper

Valentine 

I studied the choices, remembering dear old Pony, who lived at the convent where I send the knitted gloves and socks. That was his full name, so I considered it.  

He had a nice paddock where he received his fans and treats, when he wasn't out having illicit adventures in other people's gardens.  And this weekend,  along came Bad Bunny.

So we have Pony Bad Bunny.  Pony for short.

And I got a response from the insurance people confirming that the reason for the sudden premium increase for the house coverage was the cancellation of the auto coverage.  I'm deeply suspicious that the increase is almost exactly what they refunded when I cancelled. Sigh.

Meanwhile, Misfits seems to be an afternoon delivery for Ronald.

I usually try to do a bit of catch-up before deliveries. I had a piece of good ginger in the fridge, and wanted to be sure to process it before it got dry.  Not cheap.

Enter the microplane and paring knife, and now I have two containers of ginger in the freezer ready for use 

Minced probably for cake, diced for Wil Yeung recipes. I don't bother peeling since the skin has a lot of flavor and works fine.

Then Ronald arrived with a small order this week, in a rental van, I wonder if the pink truck came to grief on the ice.

The "meet the family" card back there is about eggs, which I didn't order this week. Maybe it's to remind me.

Canned goods plus honey for the food pantry, honey for me too, Rockit apples like little jewels, olive oil because I'm clean out, blueberries to go with the yogurt, yay my favorite yogurt was back in stock this week, green olives because that sauce was great and I'm up for making it again, only with the "right" olives, tuna for tuna melt and salad, different ketchup because the other wasn't available. 

I already have things like diced tomatoes chickpeas, cannellini beans, so I'm catered for.  It's all good. This evening dinner will be i stew of chickpeas and diced tomatoes flavored with that olive sauce.

Happy day everyone, congratulations to Minneapolis for apparently defeating ICE. For now.

When we get rid of this brutal bunch, we'll have people like those brave souls in Minneapolis and other cities to thank for showing us how it's done. And we will never forget the people who gave their lives and health and safety.  

To honor them, we'll keep pushing,  in every way we can think of. As exhausted, traumatized families eventually get back from concentration camps in Texas to home, they'll still need help.  Local organizations will still need donations. We're not at the end, just at the end of the beginning. 

Still my flag. We'll retrieve it from the mud and clean it up.

Toilet detente, Misfits, cute winter boots

Finally the house plumbing is working again, not without some struggle with the plumber, a good old boy who doesn't take instructions too well.

He did arrive as arranged, with the correct toilet, fixed the one which needed the mechanism, installed the new one. He managed to crack a few tiles removing the old one, which I will get my contractor friend to look at.

And there was an interesting dialogue 

Boud: please reuse the wooden seat from the old toilet 

Lyndon the Plumber: can't be done. It's welded tight, can't remove it. Also the new one comes with a seat.

Boud: I installed the wooden seat by hand, no tools, but never mind, just go with the new one 

L the P: oh

Later, checking the installation, there's the wooden seat all in place. Not the plastic one that comes with.  Probably on his truck.

So I emptied my wallet into the Plumbers Benevolent Fund, and today's another day.

While awaiting Misfits box today I did today's cute winter boots 

Called ICE tipline to report illegal immigrant Musk. 1-866-347-2423.  They've been flooded and have stopped accepting phone calls. But they gave the online address to file a report. 

So I went to www.ice.gov.tip and filed my complaint there, removing all my personal information. They've accepted the report. 

I had a great time describing him as an illegal immigrant of South African origin,a cyber criminal currently defrauding US taxpayers. Addresses White House and Maralago.  

Here's the thing: while they're flooded it stops them from getting tips on other immigrants. And you can file from outside the US, as well as inside.

On to lovely food.

Jeff arriving with the box

And here be user error. I checked my order when I noticed two bags each of potatoes and apples. I appear to be operating in distracted mode, clicking on two when I meant one. 

So I had planned on potato carrot spicy soup this afternoon anyway. I'll have to check out potato recipes.  And maybe apple ones, too. Pie, pasty, crumble, hm.  Too much of a good thing might be wonderful.

But oh well, it's all lovely food and it comes right to my front step, not much to moan about.

About Helen Hip, I had an appointment with an orthopedist tomorrow but feel too stressed with cleaners coming tomorrow too, doesn't fit well.  Too much going on this week.  

So I now have an appointment in early March instead. I notice that since I've resumed my qi gong, Helen's doing better. I even started the hip exercises again.  I'm hopeful.

Happy day everyone, do your bit to resist! And remember it's not about making ourselves feel better. It's about trying to make good trouble. I feel terrible, afraid and weak and old. But I am not going down without a fight! 

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day which I think is about friendship, and here's someone who certainly deserves loving greetings 

 Meanwhile for the more traditional 

Prompt plumber, AMA and Leonardo

Promptly at eight am, the plumber got back to me, and by nine am the downstairs toilet was fixed so it doesn't run all the time. The upstairs one was looked at and they're ordering a new one, same type and color --bone, if you wondered -- so far so good. The guy who came was the one who installed the current ones, so he knows his stuff.

He thinks he can get and install the new one today or tomorrow. 

Edit: update, Wednesday. 

This is important because it's the one off my bedroom, and it's much safer to use during the night than going, while half asleep, down the hall into the other bathroom which is laid out differently. That's asking for a fall.

Then I started the car, wheee, it started right up after several cold days, this is great. One tiny drawback was the patch of black ice on the driver's side. 

I was not eager to fall, so I navigated with great care. Then while the engine ran, I took out the garbage, then found the snow shovel and managed to break up and toss the ice. Much safer now.  It's so good to be able to fix my own ice! I feel quite capable again. 

See chunk of ice propped up against the curb to melt.

And I checked into the AMA YouTube channel for the latest virus and heart news.

Because art will save us all, I thought I'd share this 

This is unfortunately in the royal collection, available only for viewing and study by well connected academics.  The peasants don't get to see this and hundreds of other drawings. I strongly doubt that any of the royals ever browse there, in between dress and hat fittings and intra-family feuds.

Leonardo is a gift to the world, and my egalitarian little artist heart thinks everyone should be able to see and experience his work.  Meanwhile, I remember all the times I copied this and other master drawings as well as Leonardos,  as a student while learning to see a particular view of the turned head.  

It's all about the mechanics of anatomy and perception,  and you can get a whole education from studying and copying this one drawing. Then, after copying,  when you look again, you see it with a more educated eye.

Like this, I learned so much about the shape of the eye and the relationship of the eyelid, and used the knowledge in  doing this ink and wash, much later.

And here you can see the influences in this charcoal, ink and monotype mixed media piece.

Hard to see because of reflections, but you can get the gist.

Happy day everyone, and I hope your gist today is good.

Underfoot and overhead

After a day of total deloogin' rain yesterday, the sun is back. Not even much mud, which means we needed that rain.

So a nice local walk ensued.

There are whole worlds underfoot

And I'm told trees communicate with each other. I wonder if they talk across species and varieties? These beeches seem very confidential, wonder if their neighbors are included in the decades-long convo?

Back home to find panic next door. Refrigerator broke down, no service can be done during the lockdown. Sooooo, frantic moving of food.

 Their other freezer works and is full from recent big shop. Which is why I have a giant bag of ice stored for them in my freezer, not without some squashing in, mine pretty full too.

 So today we're all glad about that because I took the bag of ice back and they've set up the ice chest to help for now till they figure out what next. Never a dull moment.

 Yesterday was her mother's funeral, away from here, which is how they didn't find out until just now about the breakdown. Whereupon they both had breakdowns,too.

And I thought, having done what I could, I needed to go away and play a bit of music.

Editor's Note: if you are not a sight reader or find early music almost as exciting as watching paint dry, skip the next bit.

I played these three suites, composed by Anonymous, from a 1700s book for solo instrument. Probably, knowing the music world, composed by a woman, but moving right along.. I'm playing them on alto, but they're cleverly designed for soprano and tenor, so I might try that, too.

Then I played a bit of Michael East, Elizabethan feller, and I wanted to show you typical handwritten then printed music. Don't imagine I'm rippling away like Michala, though. Just a competent player. Mostly..

 I got most of my music from workshops run by great players who are often editors and arrangers too, and share what they've arranged, or their colleagues have.

  My interest is in medieval, Renaissance and Elizabethan music, and it's a lively world. And it's a small one, so print runs tend to be small, nowadays from the arranger's computer.

Last evening I rounded off my Alec Guinness Film Festival with The Man in the White Suit, and I don't know if there's ever been a better comedy ensemble than in the Ealing studios.

But now, chop wood, carry water, scrub bathrooms, since I cancelled my cleaning family and them toilets won't scrub themselves.

There's a wonderful word that explains everything is part of life, not an interruption to it. Shakuhachi.

 Always good to remember in frightening times. Everything that happens, welcome or feared, is a part of life. A lot of us are at home now. But our "real" lives are not suspended, they've just taken on a new form for us to explore and learn.

Likewise during my long caregiving years, my life wasn't on hold. It was very full, with happiness in there, too, if you looked for it among the stress.. Sometimes I needed stronger glasses to see it, but it was there.

 In fact it was during those years, that I attended a workshop conducted by a shakuhachi flute master and learned about the concept. Very timely learning.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears!