This and That

I've followed Ronni Bennett's Time Goes By for years.  My favorite weekly post is Interesting Things and the following video is a great example of how the narrowness of some laws that can become self-defeating.  

"This is a video about what happened when the U.S. Department of Labor stepped in to enforce their employment regulations against piece workers in a retirement home.
It was produced last year by students in The Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media (AIM), a two-year film program for juniors and seniors at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California, which happens to be my alma mater,"  writes Ronni.

  Amazing the millions of women who marched--peacefully--yesterday!

Here We Go Again...

--Friday--
OK, I am a time-waster.  A very proficient time-waster.  Sometimes I regret the time wasted, sometimes I don't.  And sometimes, I feel like maybe you would enjoy some of the places I waste my time.  :)

I watched the latest Sainsbury Christmas ad, which I liked just because it has James Corden doing the voice-over.  But then I got side-tracked with other Sainsbury  adverts, like Waste Less Save More:



And then,  well, just a few more.


What else should I do?  Clean house?

----Monday---
I actually did clean the house!  Everything except mop the floors, and I decided to do that today.  Well, that was the idea anyway.  Doesn't seem as urgent this morning.

Frustrating: When Edgar gets in my lap when I'm trying to work(?) on the computer.  He can not keep his paws to himself!  I like feeling his warmth in my lap and listening to his purring, but his constant reaching for my hand is annoying and causes typos that need correction.  I make enough mistakes without his help.

I finished reading The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison, a dystopian novel that tackled a lot of problems about power and corruption, before we took another little trip this weekend to Jefferson, TX.  We stayed at The Excelsior Hotel which has provided accommodations since 1858;   famous visitors included Ulysses S. Grant and Oscar Wilde.  We did not see the ghost, but were charmed by the hotel anyway.

Sometimes there are so many things on the "to do" list that I'm overwhelmed and unable to get started.  

Onwards!

Friday

 Amazing, funny, talented, foolish....what an assortment!

  

Oh, blessed relief!  We are due some rain and a cool front!  What a timely gift, as children have started back to school and won't be suffering from heat exhaustion on the buses!

I received a review ebook of Kristina Ohlsson's The Chosen in July.  And since I enjoyed it, decided to begin with the first in the series featuring Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht.  Thanks to the library, I was able to pick up Unwanted, Silenced (reviewed on my book blog), and The Disappeared (which I haven't reviewed yet.  

Ohlsson fits right in with some of my other favorites in the Scandinavian Crimegenre.

Right now, I'm reading The Six:  The Lives of the Mitford Sisters.  My background on the Mitfords was limited:  Nancy as the author of Love in a Cold Climate, Diana as the beauty who married Oswald Mosley, the fascist--that was about the extent of my knowledge.  The sisters are iconic and are frequently alluded to in fiction, and of course, the subject of many nonfiction accounts.  When NetGalley offered the book for review, I decided to learn more about these sisters whose lives are almost stranger than fiction.

 The Six appears to be a reissue in ebook format of Thompson's 2015 book Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters. 

Outgoing Mail

postcard to Suzie

Mice and Tea Bags and Mail Art

I've made a few mice in my time, but I'm always fascinated with how wonderfully a "mouse" theme can be carried out.  Odile has taken this to a most detailed, whimsical, and delightful extreme.  



I have so many unfinished projects, tucked here and there.  I don't seem to have any "stick-to-it-ive-ness" and flit from one thing to another.

Like tea bags.  I've been looking again at the work several artists (real ones like Lynn Perella and Ruby Silvious) have done with tea bags.  After looking at some of Ruby Silvious' work, decided to give it another try.  

After a couple of cups of coffee in the morning, I switch to decaf tea, so a plentitude of tea bags doesn't take long to accumulate.  Since my drawing skills are so poor, a search through some stamps seemed like a possibility.  After stamping a few images on the used tea bags, I adhered them to postcards that were already monoprinted using a gelli plate.  :) Playing with this technique can be fun.

I've done 4-5 of these so far,

but this one will go out tomorrow

to Bryce Eleanor

Along with the following two.

No tea bags, but gelli printing and doodling.

to Mila

to Max

And some letters that went out this past week.

Hibiscus

in the garden

Oh, Yes!

via Threadbanger

Technology

In the aftermath of Isaac, thousands along the coast lost electricity.  What an essential part of our lives--lights, water, air conditioning, appliances, traffic lights, television, radios, cell phone re-chargers, and on and on.

Aside from the most crucial uses of electricity, casual communication is also at the mercy of electricity.  Almost everyone has experienced the exasperation of having computer problems or having a cell phone die (for whatever reasons):  the frustration is enormous.  We feel isolated, as if our lifelines have been severed.  Leaving home without a cell phone can make us uneasy, even if we have no intention of making a call.

Yet, it really was not that long ago that computers were relatively few and those few belonged to geeks, not the general public--before a cell phone was considered a necessity.  Historically speaking, 20 years or so is quite brief.

In those archaic times, we were out of touch if we weren't at home with a land line telephone at our disposal.  We were not instantly reachable if we were driving, shopping, or visiting.  We could remember phone numbers--speed dial wasn't available.  

Before Google, we had to go to the library if we wanted to do research, use the phone or write letters if we wanted to get in touch with friends.  Email? Texting?  Not available.

Both good and bad, of course, come with all the wonderful technological advances we enjoy.  In one way, our cell phones are security; in another, they are an obligation and/or an interruption.  Our computers entertain and inform, but they also allow us to retreat from face to face communication.

Even so, we love our cell phones and our computers.  Although not as important as some of the other benefits of electricity, we appreciate the ease of communication.

I've digressed...and meandered around the importance of electricity and communication.  While thinking about these things, partly because of Hurricane Isaac, an email about new fall television shows arrived in my inbox.

One new show this fall, Revolution, addresses some of the results of losing all of our technology, not just computers and cell phones--losing electricity and all of the conveniences it provides.

What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and "Supernatural's" Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology - computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights - has mysteriously blacked out forever. 

  A sort of dystopian adventure story created by Eric Kripke, J.J. Abrams, and Jon Favreau (enough reason to watch right there),  Revolution is definitely going on my watch list.

Returning Prodigal

I've been absent for quite a while.  Thanks to those of you who emailed to see if everything is all right--I appreciate it.

Not only did I take a long blogging break, but I also took a long stitching break.  The only thing I was doing in the studio was my yoga sadhana and meditation.  I didn't  clean up the piles of fabric on the cutting table, put away my threads, or even pick up the white on white project to see what could be done next.

What I did do was read.  And read.  And read.  And work in the garden.  I have five passions: reading, stitching, making eccentric dolls, gardening, and yoga.  I can never seem to divide time equally between them; I go from one obsession to the next.  I haven't made a doll in months, but when that obsession returns, another obsession will suffer neglect.

This week, though, I've returned to stitching.  I've made some progress on the white on white, although Karen Ruane's class has ended, and I'm not nearly through with my piece.

Pinning some blocks together.

I have also done quite a bit of work on a boro jacket.  Last summer, I took 2 of Fee's old shirts to use as painter's smocks.  The shirts are huge, one had a rip in the front, and both were worn around the collar and cuffs.  Both also had paint on them, so they were a perfect fit for patching boro style.

Watching Korean historical dramas, I fell in love with the jeogori jacket worn over the traditional hanbok.  So I cut the shirt very short, cut 6 inches or so off the sleeves, and changed the shape of the neck.  After pulling out all my blue fabric scraps, I began applying the patches with simple kantha stitching using a cream Danish flower thread from Hedgehog Handworks and a black pearl cotton.  I'm going to order some more of the Danish flower thread in shades of blue.

The video below is so cool...what a sensational place for young people!  Makes your heart beat faster and makes you want to move and "dance with him".



Via The Small Object

Grin and Share It!

Looks like fun!  Found via Dixie Redmond's NorthDixie Designs.

Too hot and humid for that right now--back to the studio.

Oh, I forgot to show you the round address labels I ordered from Moo a while back.  They can be used for other things as well.  I chose 8 of my photographs to use on these stickers.  They would also, depending on the information you might choose to include, be good for those of you who have Etsy shops, etc.

I made prairie points and rouleau strips this afternoon while watch Red Riding Hood with Gary Oldman.   It wasn't very entertaining...the film, I mean.  The prairie points were actually far more interesting.

Erin go Bragh

And top of the morning to you on this St. Patrick's Day!

 I gave our daughter Erin a tee shirt with Erin go Bragh on it when she was small with the phrase on it.  At school, bragh became bra, and our little Erin was not very happy with me.  What if I'd given her one that said, "Kiss me, I'm Irish"?



My allergies have been giving me fits lately.  Which means it must be time to garden.  I hope to check some garden centers this afternoon, and my eyes will probably be all itchy and unfocused.  This is a little early, but it has been so warm this year that the plants are coming in, and I must have some basil.

I watched Looking for Richard with Al Pacino recently.  I had this on my list of documentaries that I wanted to watch for a long time, and the reviews were all pretty positive.  I wasn't much impressed, however.  It seemed so self-indulgent.

Anyway, I started thinking about Josephine Tey's mystery Daughter of Time, which I read over 30 years ago, but which has stuck with me.  I have looked for it in the library several times, but it was evidently culled.  It was published in 1951, I think.

Watching the documentary, which deals with Shakespeare's Richard III, made me think of Daughter of Time again, and I ordered a copy from Amazon.  What a pleasure!  I enjoyed every minute of it!

Although I was unimpressed with Pacino's documentary, I'm really glad I watched it because it made me reread Tey's book with a point of comparison.  Shakespeare's play is full of inaccuracies, to say the least.  He was writing for the Tudors, and the Tudors reviled Richard. Did Richard have the princes in the tower killed?

Oops, I've gotten carried away, and I haven't even begun my review of the book for A Garden Carried in the Pocket.  I'll have a lot to say about it.

Have a great St. Paddy's Day!

Another Flag Complete

Ho, Ho!  I've finished this week's TAST stitch (whipped wheel) and my prayer flag!  "be still" is a mantra I frequently repeat to myself; it has multiple meanings for me and always seems to calm my mind.

I love the little scribble looking lines that came out in this piece of eco dyed habotai silk.

I used eco dyed scraps again for this one.  And included Cy's wheel, something I had been meaning to try anyway, so this week's TAST stitch was perfect.  I didn't use as many spokes, but I'm going to try more spokes soon because I love the way Cy's wheel looks.

------------

:)  She calls it Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder; one of my teacher friends several years ago called it CRS (Can't Remember Sh**).  Diagnosis it as you will, I suffer from this disorder and evidently had early onset.  (via Kinship in Color and Wool)


Actually, I don't always forget, sometimes I just decide that I'd rather read or sew than clean out the pantry, etc.  Still, when I walk into a room and forget why I walked into the room, I'm frustrated.  Do you do that?

After reading Moonwalking with Einstein (I reviewed it here), I am trying to pay more attention to what I do.  So much of my activity is sort of on automatic pilot.  Memory requires effort, and I'm pretty lazy.

It is a lovely Friday here.  Perfect spring-like weather with temperatures expected to reach the 80's again today.  Some part of me is thinking that it is just too warm for the time of year and worrying about an extra long, extra hot summer.

Ah, well, might as well enjoy it.   Have a great weekend!

Whassup?

Stephie is having a give-away over at Peas in a Pod-- a pattern for a beautiful tote bag.

And generous Mary has been making little gowns for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  Here is a link to her tutorial for the tiny things.


I've just finished watching Craft in America (Season 1).  If you haven't seen it, check it out on Netflix; it is a delight to watch.  Not the kind of craft stuff I do, but the real artisans, the craftsmen and women whose work ends up in the Smithsonian -- both of the basket makers who were interviewed have baskets there.

My favorite individual (and it is a difficult choice) is the 90-year-old furniture maker, whose loving tribute to his wife is so touching.  My favorite story is the blacksmith who had parishioners bring iron objects which he then used when making a baptismal font for their church.  I loved the way they honored tradition, but branched out, using their own creativity, sense of beauty, and sense of humor in their creations.  Well worth watching!

Along with my slow progress through the books of essays, I'm reading Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer.  Fascinating.  Actually, the essays are being neglected as I immerse myself in Foer's book.

Another encrusted piece and a prayer flag are in the works;  I've been working on them for several days, but today-- I'm not in the mood for them.  And yet, I need to finish the prayer flag for TAST.

It is another windy, stormy day, and what would be the most fun is staying in and reading a good mystery.  Unfortunately, I need to go to the bank and to the grocery store.

Hope everyone is having a great Friday...good weather or bad!

Tuesday Thoughts

I've been watching Drop Dead Diva on Netflix while working on the current doll.  Cute and funny--love the characters.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the type of doll I'm currently making is a fairly quick one. However, if there is anything I'm good at, it is complicating things.   I've been working on the darn thing for about 5 days, and yesterday, I spent ALL day working on her.  From around 8:00 in the morning until around 10:00.   There were frequent breaks, but I the darn doll ate  my day.

Today, I'm taking a break from her and doing some straightening & putting stuff away as my work space is total chaos right now.  I'll work on her again this afternoon, but my butt still hurts from too much sitting yesterday.

I really, really want to see this:


While we were keeping Bryce Eleanor Sunday night, Amelia was throwing her annual Oscar Party.




That's Amelia in the front.



Our area was delighted, of course, with James Joyce's win.  We love our locals--and Joyce is definitely a Shreveport boy!

Monday Morning

I've had an interesting morning.  After tai chi, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and as I was heading to my car, I noticed a young woman who appeared to be in serious pain.  I watched a few moments, then walked over and asked if everything was OK (which obviously it was not, but what do you say?)

She said she thought something had ruptured, but that she was going to drive to the emergency room.  She could hardly talk.  I asked if she was really capable of driving and told her I'd be happy to take her.  By then, she could barely move, and she agreed.  The hospital was only about 5 minutes away, but it was lunch time traffic, and I don't know if she could have made it by herself.  I took her to Willis Knighton's emergency room and am hoping that everything is OK.  She called her husband on the way, and he was supposed to meet her there.

I remember the pain before my appendix burst and the pain when I had a kidney stone...I was past being able to think in both cases.
---------
On a more cheerful note, this video of a crow snowboarding on a roof is so funny.  Crows are really intelligent birds, but this one knows how to entertain himself!

Crow snowboard on roof (via time goes by)

Thinking About

I'm still in the kantha stitch embroidery mode.  Maybe I just need the meditative feel of simple stitching with no end in mind, no design in mind, nothing but wandering over the cloth.  Or is it an avoidance activity?

While I'm not feeling any obvious anxiety, the Christmas season often feels overwhelming.  A great shame, isn't it?  Yet holidays, which should be a time of joy, bring pressure as well.  I love seeing Christmas decorations, but have to be in the right frame of mind to begin them in my home.  So far, only a little Christmas decorating here, because I keep retreating to the studio and needle and cloth.

The studio itself may be a source of some repressed anxiety.  :O  I want to re-arrange things, but as you all know, re-arranging means disassembling, organizing, calculating where and how to fit things in, decisions, decisions, decisions, and effort.  I'd like to move my large storage cabinet, but it must be emptied out first.  Whoa!  Now that is a big and time-consuming job.

My cutting/work table is not as convenient as I'd like, but in limited space, where can it go without causing another problem?

As I work myself into a frenzy of anxiety (may have been repressed before, but not now!), I realize that my Christmas decorating mood is dependent on my being actively Christmas crafty, and I can't really craft until the studio is at least more organized.

Now, what?  Retreat to stitching or gather my energy and determination and attack the studio?

This Autumn doll should have been completed by now.  Maybe I'll work on her today.











What?  I'm procrastinating again?

O.K.  I can do this.  Marshaling my determination...and going up to work on studio.  For a little while...

Maybe then I can move on to other things.

What a cute video!

Maccabeats

I've fallen in love with the Maccabeats.  Move over Glee.  This one is my favorite,

You’re watching Maccabeats. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Candlelight is fun, too.

Spring Pillows in Progress

Linking to Jennifer Rizzo's Refresh Your Room Party and The Speckled Dog.

 Found via Bemused, this very, very funny (and unfortunately, all too true) video.

Palindrome

My friend Thomas sent me this palindrome. The message reads one way from top to bottom and the opposite way from bottom to top. Very effective!



Two nice things happened today to help combat the awful heat: we had our ac unit replaced (ahhh, immediate relief), then it rained! We needed the rain desperately, especially with temperatures reaching over 100 degress; so our lawn has been watered and it has cooled down considerably.

Unlikely Friends

Found this wonderful National Geographic video via The Drawing Board; A beautiful friendship!


I've finished a few more reviews for my book blog in the last day or two; still have 3 more to review. Today, is library day, though, and I'm in need of some good mysteries!

Remember Chiron?

 This is a wonderful video!  I love it--what a great way to explain the difference between curing and healing!


Over at Northdixie Designs, I found this post about Late Bloomers: Artists, Writers, & Entrepreneurs, those individuals who blossom later in life.  She has some wonderful links to examples of those who have achieved success after 50+.

Cold and Crafty Sunday

Found a 6 pack of "silver" bobby pins at Michael's the other day and glued buttons on them.  A little E6000 glue, buttons and beads, and done.

It is cold and dreary today.  Although I'd hoped to be able to get out in the garden and put some plants in the ground, that's not happening.  On the other hand, it is a nice day for staying inside, so I lit a fire and plan on reading and maybe working some more on Mila's crown.


Have worked on two more doll heads and want to make a little quilt for the one I was working on the other day.  I may gather some scraps and plan a tiny quilt.

Still haven't finished the Easter embroideries, but have been working on a sweet lamb which is to be the final one.

Watched a great documentary last night


Here is a link to their version of The Ramones "I Wanna to Be Sedated" --  Really, take the time to watch this!