Indigo, money matters or does it

Tatter is offering a wonderful indigo workshop, probably a life changing event, wayyy beyond my budget but if you can get to Brooklyn in April, you may want to contact them.

They have a lot of good teaching online and in person, worth the fees, on fiber related stitching and hand construction skills. They help preserve valuable skills for all of us.

On a less elevated plane, the cost of home ownership continues to rise. I can handle it for now, but it's getting onerous. 

In the last week the monthly condo Association announced that monthly fees will be higher as of April, plus a large one -time special assessment fee to catch up on expenses,including insurance and water increases. This is on top of the fireplace and another small replacement costs. Soon I will be required to replace the water heater.

My water bill for the townhouse shot up this month, maybe related to the bathroom leak, maybe the same increase noted by the condo Association. This is on top of the plumbing bill.

I've rarely had a more expensive month that didn't involve fun! And  there's the personal amplifier cost, but I think that's going back, not useful for general purposes. On the good side, I can pay the raised costs, but I reserve the right to grumble anyway.

But I found a lovely artwork, always a good thing for a person's spirits

Happy day, everyone, Tuesday knitting group this afternoon, and Textiles and Tea, so there's that.

And moral support to  people who need it is always available.

Here's the current knitting, gloves for the Ministry

To a background of this, very well read, out of my usual repertoire, and interesting, thanks for the recommendation, Mary Anne. It's not the title you suggested, but just a try with the same writer.

I finally got a walk again today, after rain had kept me home for a couple of days. It's surprising how soon your walking stamina decreases if you don't get out every day. No pictures, too busy keeping going and dealing with an icy wind when I wasn't in a sheltered section of the area. 

The storm beat down a couple of daffodils, so they're indoors now, scenting the air.

And I saw an idea that I hadn't thought of: cooking and freezing breakfasts ahead.  I do other meals all the time, but cook and freeze breakfast is new to me. The breakfast I went for is French toast, which I don't have the energy for cooking in the morning, and it's best set up the day before anyway.

Cinnamon, agave syrup, multi grain bread 

And I tested one with an afternoon pot of tea. This is a humble version of the gracious home YouTube channel, with rolling lawns and vistas and a dining room set up with log fire, fresh flowers on the table, and a gracious host.  

But it was fine, and now I have several breakfasts to microwave while the kettle boils. 

I've also been experimenting with a personal hearing amplifier, low budget hearing aids which just amplify sound without differentiating background from speech.

It's a kind of prequel to getting my hearing test soon, and I can, and probably will, return them.  Meanwhile I've learned a couple of things 

One is that if I get hearing aids at some point, the over the ear type won't work for me. Small ears, glasses and mask already hard to manage, and adding the ear hook is more than I have room for. This is something I hadn't thought of. 

So now I know that part. I've also found that fitting the plug bit to my small ear canal will take skill, judging from the lack of success with any of the three sizes provided in this set. 

And I now have experience of amplifying all sounds, a bit confusing, especially hearing my own voice while wearing them, very echoing. But I notice I do pick up more speech with amplifying, so there are advantages, too. 

The controls are tiny, not easy to operate, and definitely not while wearing them, because I can't tell whether I'm pushing the right part without seeing. The instructions say to adjust volume etc while wearing them, but that's not an option for this numb fingered user.

All in all, a useful intro to the notion of wearing something in my ears, that's new in itself, and worth a try.

Happy day everyone, and don't mumble!

Rain, rain, rain, and more interesting things

 So here's Saturday, clever us

Every few minutes another local road reported closed. Circuitous path home from work for Handsome Son.

Meanwhile cosy cooking, cauliflower cheese with cilantro, cheddar and parmesan, chickpea flour for the roux.  Guinness book of records for most letter cs in one sentence.

First time in ages of making this, comfort food, hot, bubbling, cheesy.

Enough for several more meals.

And while I listened to podcasts, Margaret Cho and Lisa Ling talking on Archetypes with Meghan Markle about their lives in the broadcast and entertainment world as Asian American women, I stitched this

The new pillow cover, draping elegantly, fringes there, but not so as you'd notice.

And I continued my art winnowing, here artist books ready to give to friends while I'm still here to enjoy giving them.

I now have several magazine holder things these were in, to Freecycle unless Handsome Son needs them. 

There's a range of art forms here, handmade paper from my own plants also abaca (banana) fiber and first cut cotton linters, stamping with my hand carved stamps, drawing, painting, beadweaving,  couple of little portfolios of small works. They've been with me long enough, so they're ready to leave. I'm only partway through the boxes yet.

I did decide to keep this book about my town.  I think it should go to Handsome Son, because of this picture. This was back when Handsome Partner could still walk, though we helped him up after this shot.

Here Handsome Son is getting instructions on where to dig. I held the camera and the sack of mixed daffodil bulbs. This was October 2001.

We were planting the 9/11 memorial daffodils from our family, back in the trees. They're blooming out there now.

Happy day, everyone, stay dry if you're in the flood zone, where the crick can be counted on to git up.

Boredom leads to ideas

I was reading recently about the skill of doing nothing. It's rare in a society where industriousness is praised and supported, so I decided to have a slow doing nothing Friday. Cold winds, not in the mood for the knitting group, between projects anyway.

Interestingly, the underlying agenda of the article was that a period of inactivity was necessary for -- productivity! Not sure the irony struck the writers but, moving on.

One project I've been not getting to was about the two lap pillows like this

For which I dyed and appliqued cases to use downstairs. The idea is to raise up anything I'm reading or working on so that I never bend my neck down the way I had been. 

That's what caused, along with knitting, the neck pain and other problems I had for a couple of years. After faithfully doing all the exercises and improving the situation, I adopted this idea. 

I never sit without a lap pillow raising up whatever I'm doing. And you may notice I don't complain about neck pain now. That's because it's been working. Only an occasional pins and needles, very mild.

This means the pillows have been getting a lot of use and at this point needed a bit of help. This was precipitated yesterday when, while I was doing nothing, I spilled tea all over, pillow, robe, me, amazing how far it went. 

So that cover is in the laundry and repair shop, and I'm about to make a new one out of a huge, pretty, pretty huge,  scarf I never wear.

Note the fancy fringes, too.

This idea came when I was trying to do nothing. It's harder than it seems.  Today's solid wall to wall rain is a good time to get on with it. 

I also caught up with Ash on YouTube, a hugely entertaining, brilliant person, costume designer, LARP  enthusiast, who's into Dune. I only know about the new Dune from chat at the knitting group. I'd thought it was a remake, but no, it's a whole new iteration. Anyway, in the course of her work, this happened

Listening to Ash is also an education in gender fluidity, open, generous, funny, encouraging.  And while they were making this dress with a train, they interspersed it with loads of enthusiastic book recommendations,  fantasy, sci fi, queer, all their favorites. 

So, being completely unversed in any of the recommended writers and books, I put a few on my library request and we'll see if I get into this genre.

And I spent the evening in a pod discussing Catherine's sad health news, good wishes for her recovery, and how very badly the minimum wage Royal pr team handled the news.  

Do you fancy a Haggard Hawks puzzle? 

So there's my day of doing nothing, surprisingly eventful.

Happy day everyone, I'm busy keeping dry. The daffodils love the rain up to now. I'm hoping they don't get flattened.

Photo AC

Glorious food, a narrow squeak and storms ahoy

 Misfits arrived

and there will be radiator (named for the shape) pasta soon, haven't had it in a while, with a small can of diced tomatoes in the sauce, enough for two meals. Lovely parmesan grated on top.

Meanwhile, in the freezer to use up vegetables, spinach, scallions and mushrooms, all sauteed and served over this rice rescued from Handsome Son's kitchen decluttering

I'm so used to my own cooking and moderate use of salt that this rice with a seasoning packet tasted very salty to me. I added some into the undersalted chicken soup later and that worked better.

My day was better than the one of the bird who collided with my window. He did survive, but you see the imprint of his body and legs and eye as they contacted the glass. I hope he's doing better now, and his headache has abated.

And here's what's up for the weekend, a nor'easter, one of our specials. I live in the middle there, near 95. Well, it will wash down the pollen, and clean my car.

I'm pondering about what thing to make next. This is a good weekend for that. Happy day, everyone, 

Mourning doves moving in? And other thoughts

The mourning doves are spending a lot of time sitting and fluttering around on the deck, and I wonder if they're planning  to nest. They've done this before, a scrappy little nest on the ground, and their eggs didn't survive. Better luck this time.

I thought those of us who practice visible mending might like to know we're in a long tradition

And Mary, Linda and other doll lovers might be interested in these Chilean significant narrative appliqued dolls, depicting actual people in everyday life

And here's one of the few remaining Ainu people of Japan still creating yarn and weaving it, from tree bark, a long, arduous process for a people with no access for centuries to other weaving fibers.

Nearer home, I've set up an ENT appointment in April, for a hearing test, to see what needs to happen about my hearing. It's harder to keep up with some voices now, and I may need to consider aids.

Meanwhile I'm educating myself about hearing aids, especially the possibility of over the counter ones now that they're available. They're cheaper than rx aids, but far from cheap. 

Yesterday afternoon I spent researching what's out there, how they work, and doing a variety of hearing tests, with results varying from hearing loss typical of my age, maybe requiring a fairly simple amplifier, to profound loss, it's all over for you! 

The world of over the counter hearing aids is a highly aggressive sales pitch environment. I've already blocked texts and emails from would be sellers after just a short time of checking.

We'll see! One thing I am not, in the hearing line, is the answer to the Haggard Hawks puzzle, a 

MAESTRO!   but you knew that!

Happy day, everyone, and

The rest of the story, Tuesday knitters, Textiles and Tea

Tuesday morning, half awake, I stepped into the downstairs bathroom and found I was standing in water.  Sooooo, put down a bunch of absorbent stuff, shut off the whole house water, filling the kettle first, quick learner, and called the plumber.

While I waited for him, I kept (fairly) calm by finishing the stitching on my mermaid potholder and put it with its friends

Then the plumber arrived

nice guy, Greg, with a bucket of tools,  changed out the valve, installed an extender so it's easier to operate, switched out the pipe from valve to tank, tested for leaks

declared it fixed,  turned the water on,  charged me a bundle and went away.

He really knows his stuff and has diagnosed and fixed a few mystery ailments of the house, so though he's expensive, sometimes I need him. 

Cheerful guy, well, at that hourly rate I'd be cheerful too, mustn't be bitter, but what with  fireplaces and bathrooms,  property ownership has been expensive recently.

Then the Tuesday knitters were a lot of fun, one doing Tunisian crochet and lace knitting, two knitting lace,  D, seen here wearing her work,one beginning crocheter, one cordage basketeer, me.

This is a more focused group than the Friday one, into patterns and techniques and what yarns and why, and there's a lot of learning to be had. 

And home to Textiles and Tea with

a cheerful weaver and teacher.  She had a career teaching special education and now, in retirement, is a weaver and teacher of weaving.  

Aside from her specialized teaching of krokbragd and bound weave, two weft facing weaving patterns, online and in person,  she also teaches weaving in-person to special needs adults who can sell their output in a shop on her premises.

She loves color, as you see, and one of a kind work.

A couple of reference books for people interested

And a student setting up her weaving

 

She's a truly good soul.

The last day or two have been mixed, though Handsome Son took care, this morning, of the township building inspection of his fireplace seal, passed, no problem. Just as well because that was happening while I was whipping about commanding the waves to desist in the bathroom.

Anyway, Tiny Buddha came through

There was also food. I don't know if this supper has a name. 

Assembled 

Cooked 

It's cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, spinach, blue cheese  crumbles sprinkled on, two eggs broken over, 490°f half an hour. Served with toast. And very cheering after a busy day.

Happy day, everyone, all's well. I completely missed the spring equinox, because it seemed to be a day early. Knitting friend explained its because of the leap year. Oh.