Living in interesting times

Today was supposed to be all weather all the time. Chimney postponed, tomorrow doctor likewise. But cloudy, cool, kids out playing touch football, I wondered if I'd been a bit hasty there.

I got on with non-weather-governed things, such as this, loads of fun

And, more seriously, this

Long interesting essays around loneliness, physical aloneness against the will, existential loneliness which strikes through being in company. She chooses visual art as the vehicle for her thinking, the first essay being about Hopper. He for many people is the authority on aloneness and longing to connect.  

She discusses some of his most iconic work and lesser known ones, with a sympathetic inclusion of his wife, Jo, also a painter, whose talent he relentlessly tried to suppress and extinguish. 

She threw her energies into promoting his work, a Stockholm syndrome set-up if ever there was one. The loneliness of being married to him probably surpassed anything in the paintings, for which she was also his model

It's disturbing to read about his cruelty, but important to understand. If possible. Next up is Andy Warhol, so we'll see.

Then in the mail, look, my moringa seeds came

You can see them in the window of the packet. And a bonus present of some exotic cucumber seeds. Next year.

Here's a picture of the seeds before they're harvested, by this tiny company in Phoenix. In their back yard!

So I'll be starting them in a pot soon. I usually avoid sending or receiving plant material or seeds from other states out of concern for accidentally exporting or introducing regional diseases. But I did make an exception.

In fact it wasn't possible in and out of NJ for several years after the anthrax attack shortly after 9/11. Yes, that was our post office. All our mail, in and out, was irradiated to kill the deadly anthrax spores.

At first they overdid it and turned the mail into cinders. I got a plastic bag and an apologetic note, sorry, this is your mail. Just crisp brown shreds of paper. Bills, legal mail, who knew what you should have received. 

I lost access to a British pension because they said l failed to return the annual form for declaring my eligibility. I wrote to say most likely it was incinerated, and could they try again. 

After some hesitation they said they'd researched my account, were so sorry for the experience, and here's a new form, also they would backdate to catch me up. Tiny pension, but welcome anyway.

And on the subject of mail, here's one of the results of my get out the vote work along with many other people. Legislation providing this

Pre filled out with my information from the voter rolls, just sign, date and return to ensure vote by mail ballots forever. 

I chose to get them for every election, president to fire district. Prepaid envelope. This is good. Contrasts vividly with states doing their best to suppress the vote and worse. 

Then it was late afternoon and it started raining. And flooding. Thunderstorm overhead, massive lightning, an entire evening of tornado warnings and reports, phone alerts to take cover,  trees and wires down all around me, 

Now 11pm and heavy rain but the part of the storm that touched down the damaging tornadoes locally has finally moved on. Some awful pictures. 

However, flooding is serious. This is the current state of affairs. Closed roads too many to list. We had several inches of rain, still going on heavily out there.

Looks like it wasn't hasty to postpone the doctor after all. I doubt if anyone can get anywhere tomorrow. 

Right now Handsome Son and I are safe and dry in our respective homes, except he's moved his car to higher ground because he's pretty much surrounded by water, the marsh having invaded the parking lots where he lives.

We still have power, and WiFi. So this is good. I'll keep you posted. Finally got calm enough to blog.

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Doll Two approves, upcoming reading, maple study

So here's where we came down. Doll Two in her sequined LBD, and perky sequined hat referencing The Importance of Being Ernest, and statement pin. She's set.

In other news, my Cross pencil had evidently arrived and is waiting its turn. I had emailed a follow-up three weeks after sending it and within hours this response arrived.

I was amused at being described as a cross consumer. I'm actually quite a pleased one.

And my future reading is interesting

The library now bought this, possibly in response to my request, and I'm in first place waiting for it. 

Meanwhile just thinking about Sonya gave me a great idea, that's how good she is. I remembered a piece of terry I'd organized for a quilt backing, for a quilt I never made last winter, one thing and another, and thought aha, I can make a robe with it.

But first to find it. A lengthy search ensued, including the bags in the car awaiting cooler weather to go to the thriftie, various other locations, among sheets, blankets, who knows. 

Then I finally tracked it down in its own bag, labeled, in its own dedicated crate. Under two other crates in the art materials collection. Where I was sure to find it easily (!)

I'll use that top I made from the jersey sheet, as a pattern, lengthening it to suit. That'll work. Also pockets. Big ones. I have other terry hand towels I sewed from the same fabric and they might be pressed into service as pockets.

So this might be an interval in dollmaking. Just some plain handsewing. 

Then there's a great exploration of zero

Hard to think of a time when it wasn't a recognized thing, or nonthing.  First need seems to go back to clay tablets and cuneiform account keeping. 

And an Indian mathematician developed it later. I need to learn more. Without the concept of zero,  coupled with ones, we wouldn't have coding and the ability to do what I'm doing here and you're experiencing here.

Then there's the existential to consider

I'm waiting for all these, but I'm high on the list, so I won't have forgotten requesting them before they arrive.

One last thing just because it's beautiful

Onward!