Wednesday, where'd you go?

Lovely gentle rain and cool, the garden loves it

This rain is the edge of Erin, and we may have more wind and rain soon. 

Since I don't like to walk in the rain, I did an indoor yes2next, twenty minutes of moving to 80s tunes, of which I knew just one! (I got you, babe, Sonny and Cher).  

This was definitely a workout. It's the continual movement, unlike my outdoor walking, which is brisk, but with stops to look and listen and take photos.

So my afternoon plan, to listen to a Shedunnit podcast and stitch my linen, didn't happen, because I closed my eyes after lunch for just a minute. 

Then I woke up in time for tea and honey toast. I get the Shedunnit newsletter and finally got around recently to listening to the podcast which I found on Spotify, then I signed up to continue. I'll continue later.

What did happen though, was that I remembered to take the pictures of the kantha stitched purse 

You can see the clever strap, cording with a section of quilted fabric where it crosses your shoulder. And it's lined. You can see the size by comparison with my gnarly old hand.

This is an easy project for you, Mary Ann, so I hope you do make it. It's a nice gift, too, especially  if you slip a little something in.

Wednesday evening online with friends. It's all go. Except when it's stop and sleep..

Happy day everyone, I'm learning that sleeping isn't time wasted, it's refuelling.

I had ideas to talk about retirement and other things which can wait till another day. Also the insurance company suddenly called and texted and emailed to say the house estimate had been revised upward, and approved,  and they're sending me more $. 

Since I paid the bill already I wonder if the contractors will be back with another bill. But I'll have the money to pay it, so fine.

Grantchester and Misfits

Today I made a trip to the library to return Foyle and borrow a season of Grantchester on DVD. Lovely greetings on my  front step as I was leaving,  from a family member next door visiting Gary. 

We talked about Hippolyta, J's replaced shoulder, and physical therapy. I admired her new range of motion, and it was a good start to the day.

At the library there was a rush of feet and "Leez!!"  And it was P, the librarian in charge of the knitting group, running across the room, evidently pleased to see me up and doing. She added herself to the list of people telling me not to overdo.

In other medical news, I have officially retired Walker Two-step and Carol Cane, and Greta Grabber remains downstairs. Onward!

Before Misfits came, lunch was pasta with a sauce using the last of the pasta and the last of the spicy sausage, diced tomatoes, butter, garlic powder and dried onion. Grated fresh Parmesan over it. Plenty for a couple more meals and maybe additions to soup.

It's a while since I had a good pasta with a big sauce. This was spicy because of the sausage, no need for the dried peppers I usually add. 

Here's Misfits today 

I think the Gala apples are finished for now, so I need a different fruit for morning breaks. Breaks. As if I'm toiling away and needing a rest, yeah.

There goes Haleem 

So it's the first cantaloupe of the season. I'll give it a day or two then cut into it. Quite a small haul today, replacement avocado oil, I seem to use a lot, lazy lady's bread, canned peaches and blueberries, for desserts with yogurt. I've come to prefer this yogurt to Nancy's for now. 

Panko because there will be breaded shrimp at some point. Tony's chocolonely needs no explanation except that it's been a while. Fair trade sugar, more expensive but a better food chain than supermarket granulated. Also with an actual flavor, not just a hit of sweetness.

And peacefully getting on with it near the kitchen window, the celery heart is putting out growth. See the little sprouting bit in the middle.

Happy day everyone, I'm going to watch Grantchester with a pot of tea.

Rain again today, what a surprise. I still have two doors, destined for the outside storage area here and next door,  leaning against the living room wall, because there have still not been two consecutive dry days to prime and paint them. 

Handsome Son's development has been trying to pave and stripe the parking lots for weeks. Up to now one section is done and all the others are repeatedly rain delayed. 

The water company sent a flyer reminding us we're still under water restrictions from last year. Still not enough in the reservoirs to compensate for the drought. Maybe if they moved the reservoir to my backyard the drought would be addressed.

Happy day everyone. When all else fails, try a nap and a piece of chocolate.

Ted sez 

Meanwhile a riddle, Shug made me do it.

Brothers and sisters have I none

But that man's father is my father's son.

Who is "that man" in relation to the speaker?

A Thing-Filled Wednesday

Rain today, gentle and just what my newly planted containers needed. There are tiny signs of flowers coming up, and hair like fronds of chives, last year's cosmos pushing up tall, and I'm hoping for reseeding forgetmenots.

This morning was my annual physical, or what Medicare grandly calls wellness check. Which they start with a form to fill out and bring,  asking about depression and illegal drugs -- would anyone ever really fill out those details? -- and go downhill  from there.

My doctor is one of the good ones who seriously does the whole exam, not just pro forma.  And she was very impressed that a month out from joint replacement, I was driving, dressing and undressing with no dressing aids, climbing unaided onto the exam table, and feeling cheerful about life. I lost a bit of weight, from my already meager total but she says it's due to the general circumstances of surgery, fine. 

All good. And on the way out, I met a baby. The mom had just put down the carbed in the lobby, waiting for their car to pull around for them, and this little guy was not having it. 

Grumbling loudly, shoving aside the pacifier, looking around indignantly ready to call for the manager. I asked their age. One month!  I had never seen so alert a baby at that age. Lots of luck to them. I bet they're standing at five months like Handsome Son and walking soon after!

While I was at the medical building, I left ACLU  Know Your Rights cards in  the waiting room where caregivers might see them, and in the exam room, possibly cleaners might see. A lot of documented and undoc. residents not citizens in those jobs around this area.  So a little bit more sand in the gears.

Home again very pleased with my day, to soup and cheese toast. Then I continued reading the Grantchester stories.

Now here's how it goes. At one point there's a discussion of a disputed old painting, expert says it doesn't have the careless seeming virtuosity of a genuine Goya.  Then someone explains it as sprezzatura. 

So of course I had to look that up and see the etymology and origin. Turns out it was invented for the purpose of describing the ideal courtier in Castiglione's classic work. He said it described making the many skills and talents of the courtier, from combat to table manners, look unstudied and natural.

So I had to find and read a bit of the sixteenth century The Book of the Courtier.  And so it came to pass that he is now in residence on my Kindle, zero cost after credits were applied. 

You never know what rabbit is in wait down which rabbit hole. Speaking of which, go to She Who Seeks' blog for a great rabbit themed post today. 

 Finally I returned to Grantchester, enriched.

Happy day, everyone, get rich in events today! They're all over.

Cleaners here today, more firsts

I had planned on a couple of errands today involving carrying stuff, as well as a library pickup, while my cleaners were working at the house.

But this changed my mind

I wasn't up for getting wet several times, and maneuvering in and out of the car likewise. 

So I went to the library anyway to pick up my DVD of a later production of Cheaper by the Dozen.   

This is the Steve Martin production, and I think there's another later one. Anyway this is what my library had.

First time I've driven in heavy rain since Hippolyta, first time I've been to the library for an extended time, sitting on those way too big seats, and it was okay. Certainly nothing like the pain involved in doing this in Helen's time.  I'm getting less awkward in and out of the car, too, less worried about it.

Soon I'll have run out of firsts, and it will all be just everyday life. I'm looking forward to not being a patient, even to the end of my time with PT Emil. It means a return to good health, though I've really appreciated the work we've done. I'm far better off than I would have been.

So, all good, and here's my views. People on the right playing chess. After they left, a man was showing his little boy the moves.

And the puzzle table where I succeeded in adding one whole piece, after which I retired to read my Angela Thirkell.

 Just the right cosy read in rainy weather.

You'll notice no reference to the current gallery exhibit. It's a well meaning try, well framed and organized, print material nicely written and presented, the work of someone who really wants to be seen as an artist. This is quite different from someone who needs to make art and knows how. 

Home to cheese,  crackers and a pot of tea. The seeds I flung about on the crackers are quite successful, particularly the fennel seeds. I like the licorice flavor of the seeds while not liking at all the actual vegetable. There's something odd about a green salad type veg with licorice, or anise, flavor, to me.

This afternoon will be a movie matinee, maybe with more tea. Also laundry, my cleaning family using mops and cloths galore. My part is to leave them mops, cloths and cleaning liquids and a check. They take it from there. Suits me. 

Lovely day, though I'd been apprehensive about stormy driving and slippery walking, now I'm glad I did it.  I carried Carol Cane but didn't actually use it. Just in case of skidding.

Happy day everyone, take a little chance, you might be glad.

Quiet Wednesday

 On Freecycle this is on offer 

I'm refraining from checking into it. Trying to move the dolls, not bring in flamingoes. 

Quiet day with heavy rain, so I read, very good narrative in The Night in Question, and continued my crocheted and knitted gloves. 

And made a miniature lasagna, two helpings, which fitted into the little toaster oven. And it finished up the box of noodles which definitely needed to be done with.

This morning I called Gary and we continued the endless story of the exterior doors. The weather won't work for painting and hanging exterior doors now, so we talked about buying them in before prices rise (again) and storing them in my loft. He liked this idea and it may happen. At least that's the plan.

There may have been some sleeping, cosy indoors. 

Happy day everyone, a quiet day is a Good Thing.

Gentle welcome rain, stitching and tiny dolls

Monday is about hours of gentle rain, medium warm, just what the earth needs right now. I walked yesterday so I'm not too deprived about not getting out today. 

I did arm weights and that exercise about getting out of the chair without holding, you know the one. I did ten of them. I'm trying never to get out of the chair by pushing myself up, surprising how easy it is to forget.

And I suddenly realized the cleaning family comes tomorrow, so I have to organize a bit today. I don't want to waste their time tidying before they can clean. They really keep me going, so I take care of them. Including a Christmas boost in their check. 

We have this weird little thing going. They've been working here for about fifteen years, and have never raised my rates. So I raise what I pay them every January, fair's fair. 

And I paid them for six months of lockdown when they couldn't attend, to help them stay in business. I mentioned it to other clients, to encourage them to do likewise.

Anyway they come tomorrow so I will be out of the house most of the morning. Related, more or less to the tidying, is the decision also to tidy the knit jacket by binding the edges and getting it DONE, finally. Then by tidily wearing it tomorrow. This does work, oddly.

It also reduces the TBD area of my life

And here it is, finished and ready to wear.

Another TBD is winnowing art. I'm thinking next of tiny dolls.  If any blogistas would like any, and they live in the lower 49, please get in touch. I'll choose some and send you them. 

They're all handmade, some by me, some by friends, some folky little wooden bobbin ones from craft bazaars.  There's wood, cloth, porcelain, fiber.

One's an antique porcelain, original boots, with an amateurish repair on a leg, for whom I knitted clothes. One's a modern porcelain I made from a kit and dressed about fifty years ago. Her red silk dress has deteriorated and needs to be replaced. The peasant lady has her own hand basket. They range in size from a couple of inches to maybe 6".

Here's a gangshot 

They can be Freecycled if I don't hear interest from blogistas, but I thought you'd like first chance.

So that's where we are on a wet Monday.

With a bit of good news from my home state

Happy day everyone, stay dry, hang in there.

Photo AC 

Looking ahead bravely!

 This is a word display where you just pick what jumps out at you. I think there's a kind of unconscious preparation to see certain words first. I won't tell you mine yet, because you need to do it without cues. 

Friday was wintry, sleety rain, cold, and I was glad to get home after dropping off my bag o' knitting for the library display. 

While I was there I thought it was ages since I looked at the puzzle shelves, so I found one in my preferred size I hadn't done 

500 pieces suits me best because the pieces are big enough for me to handle. The 1,000 are just a fraction too small and I spend a lot of time and goodwill on scrabbling to pick them up only to have them fly through the air.

And here's doll two

Teal and orange with a dusky face. The orange is much more pronounced in real life.

And just the start of doll three 

And later, the doll ready for stitching and stuffing 

I'm aiming for six dolls before I go back to other projects. I'm giving them priority because they'll be needed soon.

Current reading is

Which I think I chose from a list of indigenous people-related stories. I've barely begun, but I like the main character so far, an old indigenous lady, container gardening against all advice in a retirement apartment.

Happy day everyone, no knitting group today, anyway I was already cold and wet from delivering the craft pieces.  Glad to get home, pot of tea, slice of cake and the rest of Cranford.

I think winter has started. The rain has given the earth a great drink, washed down my car and made my hair curl back up and my skin relax. That period of dry days was hard on people like me, with papery dry skin. Much better now.

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.