The hearing journey, and art will save us all

This is the entrance of the building where the ENT has his offices, and where I had my preliminary appointment this afternoon.

 Just a lovely covered walkway with plants in the earth and in pots, ficus, fiddle leaf figs, crotons, draecena, shrubs, very calming. I wouldn't mind going there just to sit and weave. Anyway all the way down there, his suite door is among the greenery 

He took a history, a lot I had sent online ahead of time, looked in my ears and mouth and wrote it all up.  

Then he set me up with a hearing test followed immediately by another visit with him with results and recommendations. Late May. 

Scheduling both him and an audiologist together is the trick, and this is the earliest. I guess I can wait a bit longer, now that I've got my nerve up.

Then I left by the nearest exit. This turned out to be the entirely wrong side of the complex, of course, my usual leaving a building performance,  and entailed a lovely brisk walk until I finally found my car. I rationalized it was exercise, anyway.

So art definitely had a place in the day, here a new square, yarn and wire together, manipulated into a shape.

And set with the earlier parts. And that square I made with pins in cardboard I wove wire into, then shaped it to add to the group.

There's another, larger square in this turquoise yarn, which I plan to thread with wire tomorrow, as another, bigger, component. Then we'll see.

Right now this is all unconnected pieces until I decide how and if they'll work. Then I'll see how to join them, and what more is needed. 

There's a lot yet to think about. I might make plain unrelated yarn squares while I think.  Mouse blankets.

In other vital news, I find the earthquake may have jolted a couple of things, such as the water pipes,  outside faucet suddenly running. 

It's always open all winter, the pipes emptied and the shutoff valve shut. But the valve may have been jolted open a bit. It's in an upstairs closet, but it's bone dry, no leaking. So I retightened it, checked the outside faucet,  still dripping a bit, so I shut it off, no freezing concern now. 

And my clothes dryer, situated close to the shut-off valve I'd tughtened,  has lost the sensor function, though I was still able to get it going on the manual timer. 

I'd run about checking the circuit breaker, check, the upstairs plugs, switching out to check the plug worked, check, concluded it was the dryer.

I wonder if the shaking could do that. I have a feeling that's an expensive repair which I may opt not to worry about. 

Always something! But that green walkway at the ENT office just lifted my nervous spirits a lot.

Happy day everyone, weave on and keep your pipes working..

Earthquake, Easter cactus and knitting group

 Friday morning started out quietly, toast and tea for breakfast, admiring the Easter cactus, blooming like billy-o

Peaceful shower, whistling operatic selections, then brushing my teeth when a huge roaring sound started up and the whole place started shaking, things rattling. 

After a few seconds I wondered if it was an earthquake, which we have once in a long while, and went out to find all the neighbors out looking around and concluding it wasn't a semi hitting buildings.

So I checked police reports

This was after this weather

Next week the eclipse. Are we in the end times? If so I'd better get on with my pinloom weaving while the going's good. After I straighten all the pictures now a bit lopsided on the walls.

The Friday knitting group went on unabated, with a twist, mother and son crocheters came.

Mother starting a crocheted hat for her cat, a ragdoll, the kind who don't fight back.

And the son, group regular, self taught crocheter, with his first completed scarf. He's planning on starting a yarn group where he lives. At his climbing gym! He'll still attend this group though.

Convo ranged over the earthquake, of course, where everyone was and what they were doing at the time, shoes and sizes, thrifting, eclipse plans, methane in houses, retirement communities,  rain, flat tires, moving house, trains and cats. 

Happy day everyone, try to avoid rain, earthquakes and eclipses. Just knit! Cook nice dishes. Breathe! Maybe that's my advice to me.

Misfits market, back on wheels, and looming up, adventures

***********Breaking:

Yes we did have an earthquake this morning, more news tomorrow,  meanwhile all's well chez Boud. Continue your normal activity.**********

Yesterday was a day of waiting followed by catchup. Gary and I took my car in when he was free of his many obligations. Now, in addition to all his renovations, his furnace thermostat has gone.

He's in endless calling with insurance people, replacement people and the supplier, all of whom say the other person is responsible, and nobody knows what might void the warranty.

I've learned that when he says he'll be ready in a little while, his little while can be hours, he's busy, just to get on with my life. 

Here it was finish a weaving, catch up online, receive and wash the Misfits  produce, commiserating with Jeff about his week of getting wet delivering Misfits, and eat lunch. 

Then we took in the car and Gary dropped me home,  went off on many errands while I unpacked my newly arrived pinloom, complete with original needle, diagrams and pattern book! 

I have plans about the produce, including another Spain on a Fork recipe for the chickpeas. And there will be tuna melts, plenty of cheese in the house from the Easter cheese and crackers. And leftover ham for omelettes. The sweet potatoes will be baked for several easy lunches. And today I'm making a new batch of yogurt.

And here's my newly-arrived vintage WeaveIt, with instructions and diagram, plus 12 weaving pattern directions. This may be where I learn to read (simple) weaving patterns. I can follow knitting and crochet patterns, so this adds to the repertoire of mysterious markings translated into tangible form. It's like an initiation.

So, no pattern other than plain weaving, I started an experiment in 24 gauge copper wire, which I quickly found is too big. So when I continue today, I'll switch to a finer gauge.

Then late afternoon, my car was ready, we picked it up. Then I flew out to catch up on the errands I'd originally planned before the Tire Goddess spoke.  I returned the hearing amp, hoping the fine print won't  affect my refund, after a bit of a time getting a label printed.

Then I picked up the  current library books ready for me to practice my self checkout skills, hoping this doesn't put a circ desk worker out of a job. I disapprove of self checkout for this reason, while grudgingly learning to use the system.

Here's the current haul, 

the Austen is a general interest item, I'm always interested in social history as seen in fashion. The other you'll recognize as the work of Margaret Stump, the pinloom lady we all liked on Textiles and Tea.  You know how recipe books usually have a lot of items you aren't so interested in, then maybe one idea that's worth the whole thing? 

This craft book does just that, aside from general useful instructions.  She shows an approach to shaping woven yarn squares that's exactly what I need for my wire sculpture, so I need to make a few squares in order to test it out. I'm also thinking of incorporating yarns with the wire, too. These ideas are forming themselves, and I seem to be just trotting behind, ready to try them out

Then I needed this, to get calm and start breathing again.

And always thinking of Ukraine  and the discharge petition which may now be the way to get help to them.

Surprising reading and the earth moved

 I was surprised to find, when I tried this collection of short stories

which involve faery, magic, real history and what if kind of musing, that I really like this writer.

 She's knowledgeable and good humored and she absolutely knows how to tell a story. This is an audiobook to accompany stitching. I've got it on a library site, but it's on youtube too, same recording.

I've now downloaded her much earlier Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell, as an ebook on my kindle. 

In other news: there was an earthquake during the night about half an hour from my house. Which I slept through, didn't even interrupt my dreams. I found out this morning in the news. If I still had cats I'd have known, because they would have gone into total hiding a couple of days earlier, unfindable.

We do get earthquakes but they're easily mistaken for a train passing, not a big deal. The last one I noticed was years ago, shortly after Handsome Partner died. I was in his bank with an officer, closing his account. The building swayed and creaked and shook.

 We finished signing and I cracked the old joke: did the earth move for you? Too late realized that someone from another culture 1. Doesn't make sex jokes 2. Never heard of this one.

 Anyway she said well, of course, it was an earthquake, as if I was a bit slow and needed help to understand..