Yesterday the pond man came, took out all the fish, removed all the sludge, plugged back in a UV light, fixed the leak, power washed after pumping all the old water, and put some very happy fish back in. Plus he moved one of the lotus to a better location. It is a great relief that he will be here to take care of any problems. Pond looks terrific….never seen it look so good.
I am going to be all over the place here so if you haven’t got a drink, get one, or read this all later when you do have the time and the drink.
Do you ever have a piece of clothing that you just can’t let go? This shirt is it for me. I have made two from the pattern my seamstress friend in Hobart made for me but the original that is getting so thin just needed one more set of patches and stitch. Maybe the next time the front gets covered with grease spatters that don’t come out, I will consider the rag bag, but not now. It is waiting in the closet for a special occasion of leaving the house and sitting opposite someone else sipping a drink. Could be quite a while.
I did not have any more of the grey worn out pants to cover the front again (that fabric went into covering journals). So I found bits of the very first Flax clothing line pants I ever bought.
I did a bit of stitching around the patches so they did not looked so marooned on the surface.
And I completely finished the Social Distance book.
It closes up like a portfolio and I used small red buttons with a black waxed linen thread wrapping it closed.
Each of them was given a red heart.
I might stay with this cut out idea a bit longer…just need the right bit of writing.
And speaking of writing, I am going to write a story to go with the Stoat Land pages. I think that there are few phrases that carry as much magic as, “Once upon a time.”
So because the two concertina sets of pages are tied together in their valleys on each side, I have an opening between them. I think that opening would be perfect to have removable pages of text. So reading all the front section along in order left to right by pulling pages and reinserting them when you go to the back side to continue the story left to right, the text for that side is on the back of the page of the previous side. I may tie a string to each page so it gets back where it belongs. And I love the idea that the ending is on the back of the beginning.
I was just going to have it pictures but when I drew the cow in the cart, I thought it needed to be a story about leaving home and going off with a stoat. And I still like the idea of having pictures that are loosely arranged in the order of the alphabet. I have no idea why the cow is in the cart…both “c” words that I couldn’t shake is my best guess.
I have to admit that this book is reminding me a bit of those books and/or illustrations of people trapped in mental institutions. Many years from now this one may find its way into the same archives, but for now it is giving me as much diversion as I am sure their’s did them.
My drawings a day continue…six whole days finished since my last post of them.
Pairs of tiny deep
purple trumpet blossoms peek
out from heart-shaped leaves.
A coreopsis
stunted by the sad practice
of poor gardening.
Invasive mint plants
are especially welcome
to the mint julip.
Tip of the grape vine
reaching out to hold on til
the grapes start forming.
I picked off a small
branch of our corkscrew willows
from along the drive.
This is called crown vetch
a rambling wild welcome weed
growing all over.
And I did make some more Anzac cookies and took the suggestion from the Montsalvent page to use a glass dipped in water to flatten them a bit before baking. They are delicious!
I need to start thinking about lunch. It will be the last chicken noodle soup from the freezer.
More cooking days ahead.
Til later.