A day packed with minutes

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.

Front cover 

Back cover

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.

Cooler but still smoky, decisions and jam.

Today is only in the 80s, but the air is in the unhealthy range still, so I watered the flowers, pulled out a couple of weeds out front and picked up the junk mail. That's it for the great outdoors today.

And I made some decisions about fiberarts. I think my hands are not up for continuing knitting for the ministry. 

I'll finish the current socks then I'll switch to weaving for them. I'll probably take embroidery to the knitting group, weaving not being very portable.  

This is quite a hard point, the socks and gloves being my main volunteer work for six years, and a part of my current identity.  So it's a crossroads.

I have to see what useful items I can weave or Tunisian crochet, which I think I can still do. I'm thinking fingerless gloves in Tunisian. I've done them for myself, so I know they work. Woven scarves, including that recent one during the Great Busted Loom Caper.

I still haven't set up any warp threads upstairs for the big project,  because I'm so tired, from the bad air I think. 

Anyway I did sort yarns, set up cotton ones together for weaving narrow bands, wool ones together for other weaving. 

On the food front, it seems that the source of the cyclobadstuff is iceberg lettuce from Mexico, distributed by Taylor Farms, an international company which also distributes in Canada.  Just a word to the wise.  Check your sources. 

This means that my food isn't a likely problem, however I had got my mouth all set for strawberry jam so I did it anyway.

I don't skim off the foam because I like it and I don't urgently want my preserves clear, not entering them in a jam and Jerusalem event.

Afternoon tea will involve little cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches. Very Downton Abbey.  Lunch involved cream cheese and green Spanish olive sandwiches,  highly recommended. 

So that's Chez Boud today, and another candy cane mystery in hand. 

Happy day, when one door closes you may need to break another one open. 

Sez the Four Wise Guys

Cold day, but wait a day..

Yesterday I noticed I had very little butter to last till the Thursday delivery, so I needed something for my toast. A little pot of strawberry jam happened.

I make small quantities, no need to get carried away. And these really small amounts have great flavor. Just strawberries, lemon juice, sugar. Also great with yogurt.

I took a longer walk, different direction this morning, to try to settle the pesky sciatic/ piriformis whatever going on, and the wind and temp were so cold. 

Back in gloves and hat and warm jacket. By Tuesday they say high 80s f. Hm. It can't decide. But I found a lovely azalea, my favorite variety with big white flowers. This one had an extra feature.

And there were handy things at the dumpster, this one probably vital for weaving and other tools, so it's home now.

Perfectly clean, looks unused. It might replace some other storage thing for my art stuff.  

Home again I got into a bunch of weaving research, found new sources and here's what resulted. The Vesterheim Museum is a great find.

She's a young Swedish weaver, pattern band maker and now heddle carver. Watching her carve a heddle reminded me I would like a sunna heddle, with short slots for the pattern threads. It's easier than the regular heddle I've been using.

Then I thought instead of yet another outlay, I'd try making one from cardboard, using an old tissue box.

I'll try this with threads and see how it goes. Not as sturdy as the usual wood and plastic, but worth a try. 

I might even get back to weaving my current band, too.  

Happy day everyone, try all the things! Sez Ted and Big Ursy and Pony and Ursula.

Jam batchette, Nature vs Man, puzzling

 Yesterday I made a tiny batch of strawberry jam, just about a dozen large strawberries

In the bowl is the foam I skimmed off, cook's privilege, with a sugar cookie. Afternoon tea in June.

Today's cleaners' day, and after I left them a bunch of lavender along with their payment, I came to the library, great destination in pouring rain.

I did a bit of the public jigsaw

That bit

And noticed this

If anyone has any and would like me to donate for you, get in touch, and I'll be glad to. Elexexadamsatyahoodotcom. The donations Rose made are very well used, really popular.

This month's Library gallery exhibit, caught it just in time, is an interesting concept, created by three local camera club members.

A lot of lights and reflections, but I did my best

This one shows a 200. year old tree which fell on an equally old house. The  roof was so sturdily built it survived and was repaired. So I guess Nature and builder were a draw that time.

 

These are just my favorite choices. One of them, the barn, looked great for Magpie's Mumblings, for a quilted artwork. And I thought of AC, and wondered if these would appeal. There were a couple of fally-down houses for Mary.

Happy day everyone. Pouring here and I saw a huge beautiful merle collie, trotting by, marvelous coat. In the rain. I'll bet he's rolling about on the rugs at home now, drying off and shedding up a storm. Too bad humans dry off less dramatically!

Going home soon to a lovely clean house soon, wheee!