Art in the library gallery

Today the cleaners are here, so I'm out and about. The current exhibit at the library is amazing. Hyperrealistic portraits in acrylic on MDF and canvas. So large I'm doing wide shots.

The show's newly up, no information yet about the artist, nor book to sign. I have to find out more. Ed note: I found an old interview with him on YouTube worth visiting. Turns out he uses an airbrush, hence the smooth transitions. 

After I'd been encouraging everyone else to revisit Jane Austen, I checked my Kindle and found that my old complete works had gone away with my old Kindle. 

So I invested in this new version, despite the hideous graphic, because it includes some early work I'd never read. 

It's a crime that such treasure goes for a bargain price when modern much less worthy work costs so much more. Yes, I know living authors need the $$, or rather their publishers do, but don't get me started on the iniquities of the publishing industry.

While I was at the library I did some jigsaw puzzling, because they'd set out a what is the name again, wildebeest? No, springbok, close enough, one of my favorite puzzling sources. The pieces are sturdy enough to pick up without scrabbling (!) away, and they have varied shapes. These are important considerations. Oh, and the pictures are okay, too. 

While I was out, before the library, I thought I'd get gas, below quarter full, in my world that's disaster territory, so I went to the nearest gas station, not my usual, nice guys, why not. And their card reader wasn't working. I had no cash, so I ended up going to the further away one anyway, where the guys are terse, but all the things work.

Then all the way back to the local library, and you know the rest. All this driving and blogging and puzzling was quite a bit of activity, and I wasn't inclined to set off again doubling back over all of it, to go to the Friday further away knitting group. Resting and reading Jane Austen in my clean house is now the plan.

Also the very last of the chicken in a  lunch sandwich, dessert beautiful strawberries and yogurt. 

Meanwhile I read Lady Susan, an early Austen, new to me, and I'm on to Sense and Sensibility, the Emma Thompson movie, and the Kindle edition. 

Happy day, everything in moderation. Including moderation.

After the funeral

No, not the Agatha Christie one, this is a writer I just found out about 

Her stories are so powerful and filled with layers and questions and significance that the short story form is enough for the reader to deal with.

Oddly I found out about her from Florence Knapp's newsletter. I say oddly, because I know her as Flossie Teacakes, from whose book I learned English paper piecing, a far cry from literature.

This Florence 

As soon as I started the newsletter, I checked Libby, the library app, found a book of Hadley's short stories, and was engrossed in them before I finished reading the newsletter.

I really recommend her. The stories seem workaday, ordinary, but they're far from it. She can fill out a character in a few touches, and draw the reader in right away, such a sure touch.

Signs of life on the patio 

Here's the bulb that broke off when I separated the ponytail palm, and gave it a pot just to see what would happen 

And sansevieria, tossed away, looking dead, months ago, is making a determined comeback in unlikely places

Here's a flower from my seed strewing, name escapes me, but I'm thinking candytuft. Yes?  

Today's walk yielded this. 

One spent blossom, more buds. Wild? Garden escape? Please say if you know.

While I was waiting for the Misfits delivery, I was idly scrolling about in YouTube and found a lovely Elizabethan, Thomas Morley, quartet, this one, April is in my mistress' face a cynical love story but not.

So, long time since I played recorder, but I hauled them out and tried my hand, with these three in turn, soprano, alto, tenor. 

There's a harpsichord accompaniment, which showed me how amazingly out of tune and out of practice I was. 

I'd lost track of the fingerings, but they came back after a few false starts.  Alto is different from the other two, and I eventually realized I should also be playing this piece an octave up.

This was another hearing adventure, first music since hearing aids. A bit tinny, but that was probably my rusty playing. I was terrible and I had such a good time.

I'm going to leave the instruments and stand out, so I'll be encouraged to play more. And I'll find my sheet music, medieval, Renaissance and Elizabethan. It's time I played a bit.

Anyway Misfits arrived 

It occurs to me that it may not be crystal clear, blogistas not being mind readers, that I do these pictures and share them as my record of the condition on arrival, in case I need to take it up. I also check that the whole list arrived.  This is a good place to store that information.

It's also interesting to readers who like to see what I'm up to in the kitchen, just as I like to know what they cook and shop for.

The yogurt and fruit will be desserts, also greens, berries and seedy bread make great breakfasts. I'm using avocado oil a lot more since mayo became a staple, used all over, in salads, spread instead of butter. 

The eggs are beautiful, sturdy shells, yolks that stand up, very much like my mom's home raised ones. Feta cheese gets everywhere as a dressing, especially on the salad greens, red potatoes as a change from yellow, great for German, non mayo, potato salad. Plans for everything with an emphasis on easy.

So that's the state of Boud today. I think I'll take a nap now.

Happy day everyone. Plan to enjoy.

Persuasion again

 I seem to be on a Persuasion compare and contrast kick. Currently it's the 1995 version with lovely Ciaran Hinds and oh well, Amanda Root..

It's a wonderful narrative, with plenty of comic relief as well as anguish. The always-ailing sister who never misses a meal or a party, the great Musgrove scene where everyone in turn confides privately in Anne their complaints about each other, the overheard and misunderstood comments driving the plot.

This morning I get an email reminder about the mammo callback, asked to pre register. First the site lets me in and hangs up on the last question, so I don't know if it registered. Two more attempts and it rejected my  password, so I may end up doing it on paper when I get there. They want nonexistent rx uploaded, among other requirements. 

I'm not sure I need any of this for a callback, but the computer system probably treats all appointments alike. I don't need more stress about this, I do know that.

After seeing yesterday's weaver, I wonder if some of my pinloom squares need to be animals. Thinking. I have a stack of them. I also wonder if I can use them combined with fabric squares, crocheted all together in a fusion throw. I already have a big piece of fabric for a backing, big enough for a quilt, if I get carried away that far.

Speaking of threads, I've winnowed a pair of very nice black pants onto Freecycle. I love them but this Incredible Shrinking Woman is now not a match for them.  

This morning the chicken is simmering making broth, ready to pick the chicken, then use for soup.  Lunch is veg croquettes, mashed cannellini beans with egg, celery dice, capers, scallions and red onion dice, Thai red curry sauce.  Dessert, need you ask, FD snacking cake.

And here's a getting to the end of the season bouquet 

When I was younger I couldn't bear the scent of marigolds or privet. Now, though, either they or I changed, because they're delicious.  Have you experienced changes in perception like this?

Happy day everyone, wear all the clothes that fit. 

L

Persuasion, knitting, Textiles and Tea

 Last night's movie was a 2007 BBC production of Persuasion, very well done though some iconic dialog didn't make it. 

Nobody rivals Ciaran Hinds as the earlier hero, but Anne Elliot was great.

There seems to be an endless supply of Austen movies around.

Today's the launching of the new and improved hearing in a group, first time since I got them. We'll see. 

So here I'm reporting later that I had a very good time at the Tuesday Knitting Group, hearing ALL the group chat yay, which ranged from temari balls to soft sculpture to dance improv to hearing, to spindle and spurtzleur spinning, the spiral of the universe, lip-reading, Portugal, freeform embroidery, and a lot more.

This young artist is riffing off Temari balls, very freeform, she's a dancer and teacher and fiber artist 

while socks are happening, also playing with spindles 

Lovely afternoon, then there was Textiles and Tea with Deb Essen, who weaves with everything from pinlooms to large floor looms, dyeing her threads and making kits from her own threads and patterns.

As you see, she's versatile! 

Then Handsome Son arrived, enjoyed several Figgy Demerara pieces, and a pot of tea, and convo ranged over current politics,  the state of the washing machine valve shutoffs, health, Uber, meat, food safety, personal transportation and ants.

He obligingly took my worn out lounge chair from the deck to the dumpster, and took his leave.

Another great Tuesday for the books.

Happy day, everyone, Weave On! More computer assisted, art

,

A word

I'm here to say I'm so tired of the features I'm seeing all over, about old people climbing mountains, swimming oceans and centenarians jumping out of planes, as if this is something great to aspire to.

I suspect a lot of the features are generated one way or another by the travel and sports equipment people. I reserve the right to get annoyed when they quote statistics then ignore them in their own conclusions. 

I just read one piece which said  retirees are keenly traveling to make up for over working at desk jobs. Then says its about 40% of them. The majority who are not running about supporting the travel lobby? Crickets. 

My current favorite is the seniors keenly looking for partners. All those seniors. Fewer than 20%. But that's the important group, I guess. Then the happily single daringly planning on solo travel (always the travel), are about 10% of their cohort. About the 90% ruining the narrative by liking home? Dream on. These are conclusions they're drawing from their own numbers. Maybe they expect people won't notice.

Anyway, ranting and media literacy aside, it's really dull reading about happy octos who love being home and sitting out reading and watching butterflies, walking the neighborhood, greeting everyone as their paths cross, sharing baked treats with friends, making things by hand, and writing snarky blog posts. They're not really feature fodder. 

So don't expect relief from the pictures of silver haired privileged white het people water skiing, laughing happily, any time soon!  

I can't help wondering if the ancient folk jumping out of airplanes have led a dismal existence up to now and will do anything for a thrill. Or if they're secretly hoping the parachute won't open.  I always wondered about Barbara Bush's motives,  enthusiastically applauding Bush the First as he jumped out on every birthday..

Cynical me. I'm guessing the yarn and book lobbies are less powerful. Also sitting reading and knitting isn't very dynamic in pictures.  And laughing at yourself is pretty much unknown to feature writers, though it's one of the pleasures of any age.

Here's the nondynamic activity I was involved in last evening while I listened to a Mrs Jefferson mystery 

And there was spurtzleuring up yarn for future nondynamic purposes 

I did take a nondynamic walk and caught scenes of early Autumn, complete with breeze ruffling the pond. Two turtles sunning themselves on the far side, so no ducks.

This garlic chive clump, which I tasted the other day and yes, tastes of garlic, is a pollinator magnet. Half a dozen varying insects and butterflies busy at work.

And, home again on Labor Day there was a lot of tracking down and listening to pro Labor songs, well, anthems, Look for the Union Label, the ILGWU Anthem, Paul Robeson singing Joe Hill to Welsh miners at work, and at a concert in Edinburgh for Scottish miners, packing the Usher Hall. And If I Had a Hammer. 

Observed with respect by this one-time Union member, daughter and mother of Union members, my dad in the Steelworkers,  I in AFSCME, Handsome Son in Amalgamated Meatcutters.

Happy day everyone, do your thing, honor all year the workers feeding us and keeping us safe.  And remember the writers of the features I featured are only trying to make a living, not to make sense.

Billie the Pup says I'm here for Boud! Fight me!