Art goes on, and orchids too

Sunday afternoon and Monday morning were about doing art obligations. The main job was to select the artwork to enter into the group show per invitation.

I decided on one of the ink drawings I did in July, the hibiscus. It's pretty good, and I feel it's appropriate to show what I'm making now, rather than old stuff. It's about forward movement, not history.

Then the hated task of finding, choosing, cleaning and taking apart a frame to use. A sectional metal one, silver color, was the best available choice. 

Then came the fun of unscrewing it, and removing the spring clips without getting one in my eye, and breaking the glass, easily done, ask me how I know, then cleaning the sections, then polishing the glass, then mounting the drawing on a backing, then finding all the tiny screws again, assembling it all and rewiring it with the wire hangers slid (needed pliers)  into the new position, and getting the spring clips reinserted under the sides. Then sitting down for a minute.

Then came the online paperwork, title, size, date, price and artist statement about the art group, upload of image.

The occasion is the 32nd year of the local artists group, which I founded and ran for several years before a staff member was hired to manage the gallery among other things.  I'm considered a legacy member, too funny.   

So the piece is official, chosen, 

There she goes. I also helped write the overall blurb for the exhibit, and that's done too. The current organizer did most of that but wanted a bit of support.

This took an astonishingly long time, and I don't exhibit now for a reason -- I need my time and energy for other things. But this was special.

I also needed to think what to take with me to Tuesday's knitting group, and ended up dumping out and organizing several project bags.  I plan to crochet together linen squares and pinloom woven squares somehow, to do my version of a fusion quilt.  

In the course of organizing I found my big sewing needles, crochet hooks, mixed knitting needles,  that cardboard lucet and several pairs of missing scissors. Also some little experiments, which I tossed.  

The thing is that I supply each project with its own tools then lose track of them, and end up using kitchen scissors because I can't find stitching ones. 

And there were balls of yarn, now untangled and bagged all together.  The crochet hooks are now with the project that needs them and the rest I put upstairs with their set.

There were bamboo knitting needles of all sizes everywhere. Now they're with their same size friends, wrapped with rubber bands. And with the needle gauge, saves guessing.

This orderliness will last long enough for one project anyway.

Meanwhile the orchid is quietly tending to its knitting. 

Look at those negative spaces. It's a marvelous shape, locking together background and positive areas. I need to draw it again.

The weather turned very wet and colder overnight, 60s in a couple of hours, down from 90s.  I ended up doing a few things outside but not walking for once. It was surprising to feel chilly. 

Happy day everyone, try not to get things so befankled that you need to sort before you can make. I'm a bad example.

White Rabbits, Happy St David's Day

 Let's breathe today and enjoy a little.

Edith Holden's Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.

The daffodil and the leek are Welsh symbols for the day, dating back centuries. I'm a multiBrit by birth, grandparents from all four nations. English Irish Scottish Welsh. In alphabetical order, in case you wondered. So I get to celebrate everything. Just sayin.

For a lovely cheering few minutes, join Ant White on YouTube as he builds a hedgehog house

Here's the concrete bunny for White Rabbits

 

And another old friend, both seen on today's walk

I'm trying, I'm trying.

Cheese is the answer to a lot of questions.

Thank you President Zelenskyy

 

Good things also happen

 Here's the latest repatriation of stolen art

There was wholesale looting of art from Benin during the colonial period, so it's good to see some items returned. Late is better than never.

And in anticipation of Handsome Son's visit this afternoon I made sugar cookies. It was another trial of using aqua faba instead of an egg. 

Right, cookies ready to bake, left, extra dough to freeze for a later batch 

As usual I put them too close, so there are interesting shapes there. That squashed one on the right became the cook's privilege, and it was good.

Enough to give some to Gary, some to freeze, some to other neighbors. 

Thanks, Nicole, for the idea.

And today Senator Kim got back thanking me for my encouragement about the House budget proposal vote, where all Democrats voted in unison against it, plus one GOP. It went down but it's only step one. 

Meanwhile we can push to support Democrats in upcoming House elections, some special ones. The House is so close it's possible to reclaim it. Florida voters, you've got a chance here. 

Happy day everyone! I'm feeling more hopeful in some ways, less in others but I'm not about to flag or stop. 

I'm very grateful to Trudeau for his Ukraine speech recently and for Macron's White House press conference where he repeatedly corrected the lies T***p was telling. It was great. It told regular Americans they understand our passion to overcome that person's destruction, and are undismayed by him.  Edited to fix earlier mistake, thank you Jeanie, for the tactful name correction.

We're fighting for our lives here, as well as for Ukraine,  and they get it. 

 

Thrills, no spills and sunshine

 I was determined to walk today, because my spirits get very low when I don't, and recently what with ice and Helen, it's been too risky.

Anyway, sunshine today 

What they call a moderate wind and I call a bitter blast, but I really needed to get out.

As soon as I stepped outside, the adventure began. My door locked itself behind me. I don't take my keys when I walk, no need. 

There's a snap lock for the cleaning family, they can lock without using a key, when they leave, and the other lock which needs a key. I never use the snap lock, but it evidently had got turned inside the door to the locking position. Oh.

Then I remembered my emergency keys in an undisclosed location. Requiring a climb up. I usually use the stepladder stored in there, but the last user had returned it with the steps facing the wall. I can't lift and turn it to get at the step I need to reach the keys. Oh, again. 

Then Carol Cane saved the day -- reached up, hooked the keys onto the handle, bingo. Managed to unlock the door, stiff, unused key, and then had to return them to the UL.

I couldn't reverse the hooking idea but found an unopened paint can to stand on, juuuuuust reached the hook. All fine now.

And when I finally made it out, it was beautiful. 

Bitter cold wind but I was insulated, remnants of light snow yesterday. 

Down there on the right I found a small cinder block in the trees which I carried home for yet another item to prop up the lavender container. Did I mention it's on a slope? Now there's an assortment of bricks, rocks and other items trying to keep it in place. We'll see. 

So I counted this as a series of successes. Small, but you take them where you find them.

And the landscape at home, speaking of fridge magnets,  here's the max stuff I have on my fridge, long past the days of Handsome Son's artwork!

Bits of art by friends, voting proof, librarian support sticker. On the left, my DNR form where EMTs would see it as soon as they come in the front door.

On the side where you don't see, unless you're working at the counter, various reminders, and a butterfly Chris will recognize.

You'll notice apples and potatoes feature here, I wonder why.

Here's a Portuguese take by cartoonist Zez Vaz, on our current situation. He's at zezvaz.com

Happy day everyone, small stuff is okay, life's made of small stuff.

Now more than ever.

Potatoes everywhere! And Valentine's Day

I made the planned potato and carrot soup, using a vegetable stock I made, using the stock bag in the freezer. The other liquid was the mapu tofu spicy liquid, which I saved. I'd made a bit too much, and it's a great soup addition. Dash of sea salt, lemon juice and it's done.

I blended it to a thick consistency, sprinkled on some dried dill, courtesy of the friend who grew it in her kitchen, and there was a good supper.

Five more meals from this batch.

I'm noticing a pattern -- leftovers from Yeung Man Cooking recipes, usually very spicy, make great soup starters. Because they already have plenty of flavor, onion, garlic, red chili oil, spices galore, no need to do much more.

 

This suits my inner lazy woman. I need to make more red chili oil though. And next week's Misfits will include firm tofu, to make marinated baked tofu sticks with a dipping sauce. Chili oil may be needed.

At some point I also need to open those cans of cannellini beans and see if they are what the label says. I'm thinking of opening them ahead of need,  and freezing the contents. I'll know what I'm getting then. Novelty is fine but not so much when I've got my mouth all set for one thing and another shows up. 

This seems to be a food centered post. Or maybe a comfort food post. 

Happy Valentine's Day, it's for all friends, not just romantic couples.

Happy day everyone, celebrate being a friend and having friends.

All the more needed, support for Ukraine.

And some useful information from good sources 

Goldwork from Putnam Museum,Iowa, Wool, and other marvels

Written on what I've designated Fiber Friday, some great stuff crossed my path, to share.

Here's a stunning nineteenth century embroidered silk kimono, in the collection of the Putnam Museum, Davenport, Iowa

Worth a trip to Iowa if you're near enough. One of the earliest museums west of the Mississippi River. Edited for correction, thank you, Rose!

And, other end of the fabric spectrum, back to the beginnings of another fiber, here's a short and great documentary on wool, sheep to wearing. I was surprised to find that wool is only a tiny fraction of the fibers currently in use. 

You see and hear from shepherds, processors, spinners, knitters, by hand and production, with a great incidental song about tending sheep on a UK farm in winter.

Hand shearing

Nearer home, I got out for a walk, Helen Hip cooperating today. In fact I did

it instead of going to Friday knitting group, because I thought walking in the sunshine would be better for her than scrunching into a library chair, which is not really designed for sitting in, more for stacking.

The new long coat is proving itself, warm and light and windproof against today's sharp blast.  So this is good. I don't want any excuses not to walk, that would be so easy, because walking is so good for your spirits, getting out in the sun and (bitter) wind. Then getting home to a pot of tea and a little something, today a poptart.

There was crocheting, both kinds, I find I need to switch around between projects, or my fingers start to lock up annoyingly. It doesn't hurt, they just won't move on request.

And regular crochet, granny squares. Or, as I would rather call them, Senior Squares! Granny indeed.

In other good news, finally the medication I've been fighting to get finally arrived this afternoon. First they didn't believe it, then my doctor had to attest personally that she'd ordered it, then they delayed then they gave me an arrival date, then they changed it, quite a saga. 

It's cheap stuff, not a big expense, but I wonder if they're tapdancing while the supply chain stutters along. Anyway for now it's okay. Irony abounds -- this stress was all about, what else, my blood pressure meds!

If you're shopping for holiday gifts, remember

Happy day everyone! Keep warm. Make things. Eat poptarts. Why does predictive text try to tell me to eat polystyrene?? 

 

Blinken is currently arranging to release billions to Ukraine, from seized Russian assets, yay!

Winter sun moving, and puzzle answers

Here's the sun now in winter position to light up the soft sculpture on the mantelpiece in the morning.

The copper wire really sparkles here, and the shadows are interesting.

On to puzzle answers, here's the 

pri_e one 

E also supplied prine for a really cool alternative.

And here's my eager answer which failed to read the directions 

Did anyone have a different wrong answer?

And here's the other one 

 Well done if you got any or all. 

Happy day, everyone, have you tried making up word puzzles? On purpose, I mean, not my way? Would you like to puzzle your readers? I'd be up for it, if so.

Current listening while I repair and cook

And evening watching, between online community organizing meetings

As you see, I'm fitting in action and escapism. 

Monday evening a zoom call with many activists in NJ, all geared up, ready and with events already set up. Not waiting for T***p to enact bad things, ready to cut him off at the pass.  These people know their stuff, and it was heartening to be in their presence. The fight is on. 

And now that the US election's over, the US, France and the UK are doing what they've been wanting to for a while, agree to have Ukraine strike deeper into Russia. This should be a turning point. I hope. As always. Active resistance.