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May…be an opening?

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

Sorry, been spending entirely too much time around bad puns. And some are so much worse than others.

It wasn’t a day for anything too complicated. I hadn’t signed up for any shifts at either place I normally work. Instead, I ran errands. Now Joanns is within about 3 miles of the house in one direction. Michaels about the same in the other. JoAnns, as it turns out, was missing several colors of DMC floss so I had to add the Michaels run. As it turns out, I should have just gone there in the first place. They have a new manager. Instead of total chaos in the embroidery section, it is now neatly and accurately laid out complete with signage and labels. Who knew?

I made it home with my floss (and a few other things that jumped into my basket) and spent the afternoon fighting with a couple of CD drives in a desperate attempt to play a couple of MP3 audiobooks… Ah, well. It looks like it is time to haul out the old MAC. I did manage some stitching, then we took dinner over to Shana’s.

It is still before 2200, but I am wiped and headed to bed.

(and now you know why I am not emailing everyone and boring them to tears…)

 

 

Summing up April

Holly Doyne Posted on by

This has been perhaps the longest month for me since the start of the Pandemic. I am not really sure why. I could point to a myriad of factors, but in truth, it feels like all the waves over my head came crashing down at once.


It wasn’t just that I had a lot of conferences on my schedule, some of which have the audacity to start at insane times in the morning. Admittedly, those times are not insane – if you happen to live in Tel Aviv, Geneva, or Glasgow. But since my time zone happens to be GMT-8 while on daylight savings time, it is really early in the morning. Trust me on that. 

Then there have also been the two courses at Cal which I have been participating in, some for my own interest and some as a guest lecturer. That pretty much wiped out all day Mon + Wed afternoon.

Add in working 2-3 days a week at one of two immunization sites (shifts are 10 hours + travel….)

Did I mention dental work?

Ok, all of that is probably more than enough whining out of me. 

I will start fresh in the morning and perhaps have it together a bit more this coming month. 

Recognize this?

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

Given that I was offered slave labor by one of my daughters late this morning, I could hardly procrastinate any further on cleaning/organizing in the garage.

The end count was three huge boxes completely emptied. A pile of clothes to be charity donated. A large number of lose items folded and packed. Contents of previously unknown two boxes identified. A very large duffle bag with various family treasures packed by Maus (and taken home by her). The dear girl also claimed two completed cross stitches as “hers” and will do the finishing. A third will make an ideal present for a friend of hers – so that went out the door as well. 

There is now a nice, clear, open space at the front of the middle section of the garage which can be turned into a metal stamping area by Daughter #2 who needs some place to pound other than her kitchen counter.  One of the old sheepskins is now decorating the floor and will make a great and comfortable nesting location for which ever of her dogs needs to accompany her.

Back to the thing –

Sansa Nano

It was in the sleeve pocket of one of my uniform shirts. I am forgetting the exact name – I was issued three that last tour in Afghanistan. They were designed as essentially a long sleeve pullover which could be comfortably worn under kevlar. I think I remember someone calling them “tanker’s shirts” but I could be wrong. The zippered sleeve pocket was great, and not to be confused with the various other velcro closure pouches and pockets. It has a standard port as well as a location for a micro chip (not that I think I have a reader for anything that small anymore) and a regular port for ear buds.  (Yes, my dears – this was long before blue tooth…

I am going to charge it and see what happens. If nothing else – I could find a card and load one of the dozens of audio books I found in the garage still sealed in our original household goods shipment boxes.

Cross stitch

Not a lot has been accomplished today. I managed another two blocks on the Tetris upper border. Otherwise – the outline for the first tree in Caroline Mannings – Tree Hugger SAL. The fabric is 18 Aida Shale by Picture this Plus using the called for DMC.

Tree Hugger #1

I need to add the Owl on the upper portion and fill in the entire tree…Only about 600 stitches more…

Bear-ly there

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

On Tuesday mornings, I have been meeting one of my neighbors for coffee and a walk. The coffee is picked up from Peet’s and we have been hiking around various streets and neighborhoods here in the Berkeley Hills. The variety of houses is just amazing. Many of the streets are winding and, as you might have guessed from the name – it can be pretty hilly. Not as in up and down but as in UP or DOWN.

When you get to the other side of Marin from where we live, it gets interesting  from a geological perspective. I will insert some pictures of Indian Rock (huge rock formation) probably next week since I don’t have any good ones from today. But back to the terrain. There are a lot of huge chucks of rock. As in protruding from the ground in front of people’s houses taking out a large chunk of their front garden. Large enough to obstruct the view from main floor windows.

I don’t think today that the city would even permit to build in this area, but the first half of the last century, I don’t think any one was quite as fussy.

The residents of one house have a sense of humor. What do you do when you have a huge outcropping in your front yard?

actually, not doing a dumpster dive

 

why, you place a statue of a golden bear. Not a small one nor light weight being solid metal and bolted on.

a find

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I started out thinking today was going to be pretty much of a loss. Not in terms of family, but in the realm of getting progress on any of my cross stitch projects.

There was the 0500 broadcast from WHO re: Neglected Tropical Diseases (leprosy among others) and the next in a series of occupational medicine broadcasts re: the construction industry at 0900. From there I made a mad dash over to the Eldest’s house (meeting up with the youngest for errand running) in order to make the 1100-1200 & 1200-1300 schedule. Even tho all were not “Zoom” since Cisco’s Webinex was in the mix – I was totally & completed zoomed out.

So anyway – Maus wanted to cruise the thrift (charity) stores for some household items and used furniture. Over the next few hours, we stopped at four (or was it five?) Goodwill locations, a consignment furniture store, and Out of the Closet.  She made out like a bandit. Found some picture frames, candle sticks, a most excellent tea kettle, serving bowls, and a couple of vases. 

I purchased one picture frame at a Goodwill – then found this lovely thing –

my new cabinet

 

Obviously (grin) it is a jewelry cabinet – a top that lifts up for precious storage on top, four draws with dividers inside, two draws below. 

Now, I don’t have jewelry. But I have floss, beads, and lots of notions. This lovely little cabinet is going to replace a number of cheap, plastic containers and look elegant in doing so. Price? $25US.  After it airs out a bit, I will move it to a place of honor in my sewing room. 

 

Rain falling on Redwoods

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

There is this old expression that says – “It never rains, but it pours.” Said saying was also co-opted by Morton Salt, but I see no reason to go there this morning.

After all, the Bay Area has had enough disasters this year without going and hunting for me.

SAR-COV2
Wildfires
drought
unemployment
school closures
hunger

Need I go on?

Well, yesterday – Tuesday 26 January 2021 to be precise, we just added torrential rain to our growing list of disbelief. It rained and rained. Plus the wind blew, rather important as this tale proceeds. This morning – we woke to the following on our back deck:

on the lower deck

buried inches into the decking

 
Just so you know, that second picture was taken after I hauled this huge branch off the deck and tossed it over the edge.

We have cleared the cars off the parking pad (which involved heading to Dani’s work and getting her keys) and are now waiting for PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) because an additional branch or three has taken the power line which runs along our property line down. So far, we haven’t lost power, I think this line mostly supports the two houses just south of ours and up another one of the typical long, twisty driveways.

and it is almost time for yet another Zoom session (YAZS?)

I took down the calendar

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

You can be so accustomed to having something in a particular place that you just don’t see it anymore. Or, if you “see” it, the significance doesn’t register.

So it was with the 19 month calendar hanging on the wall in our kitchen.

check the date …

 

Traditionally, I have liked having a physical calendar hanging on the wall. This particular location is  in among the car/house/shed/whatever keys for this location and several others. Thus it is in front of everyone’s eyes multiple times a week, if not every day. With this many people living in a household, it forms a “obligation at a glance” for anything that might affect others in the household.

What? Oh, let us say medical appointments, travel, baseball games, or invitations.

And now we come to 2020. The medical appointments have slacken off to the point where just using our phone calendars work for George and I. There aren’t any baseball games or soccer matches. Travel? What is that? A trip down the hill for take-a-away? Invitations are a thing of the past, conferences are on-line. 

All of which explains why this lovely, cheerful calendar is claiming that we are in August. Certainly there is nothing of import noted on the calendar. I took it down. I haven’t purchased a new one for this coming year. By the time I might need one, they all should be on sale…..

All dressed up

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

and unable to go anywhere.

garage on Spruce St

In keeping with long standing tradition – the monkey frieze is decorated for the holiday. Otherwise, there isn’t much house decoration, lights, or action along the route from our house to the Package Sending station that is across the street from my local Peet’s. I had two packages to toss in the mail and had no interest in standing inside the official post office in line with rude people for however long it took. Instead, I could grab a coffee and wait outside in pleasant, cooperative, and socially respectful company. When my turn came, it was all of three minutes to handover, verify, and pay for the packages.

Which just left me the trudge back up the hill….

A quiet weekend

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

Not much happened and little to report.

I stitched, George got some work accomplished.  We took out the trash. One of those kind of weekends.  Then there were the Tampa Bay Rays who slid past the Yankees. That was a positive. The Minnesota Vikings who, as a result of really stupid coaching, lost their game on Sunday.

There was minimal organizing and cleaning other wise –

I have a lot of Zoom on the schedule for this coming week, along with a run to the Apple store since I need to replace my phone. I have had it for a number of years (replacement for the one that went down the waterfall in Iceland – or perhaps the one that was stolen in Nepal). In any case, the battery lasts 3-4 hours which is enough to drive any reasonable person totally and completely nuts. George has conference calls most of the week as well.

Bleh – it feels like ground hog’s day…. *the movie.

Stitching –

 

Advertising

Holly Doyne Posted on by

It was a lovely day – completely free of TV ads. The great thing about watching baseball was seeing the action – the downside was having to watch the same ad over and over and over again. For whatever reason, I seem to be able to tune them out when listening to the radio more easily than when watching.

Baseball games? The ads are fast food, cars, insurance, with occasional detours into mortgage companies. We will NOT talk about Ronan. 

Unless. of course, the game involves the Yankees. The total focus of the advertising change. Instead of pickup trucks, it is convertibles and high end SUVs (why do you even need a car in NYC?)  Obviously,  there will be investment brokers and high end vacations. (Note, the fanciest the As get are Toyotas, Ford pick-ups, and the local casino “resort”). 

Ah, well – it was time to watch the Oakland Roots – and hear from the community instead. 

 

 

and on the stitching front –

Which “Pro”?

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

This is a discussion that will not interest many. Inside the world of crafts (not Minecraft, or Witchcraft or whomever craft) meaning stitchers, knitters, crocheters, sewers and the like about whether someone is a process person or a product person.

This battle often rages fiercely with each side putting forth arguments and claims about the validity of their stance.

All of which is pretty silly when you really think of it. Other than when dealing with digital – very little in life is binary. Certainly, most crafting is not binary. It is more than “I do this or I don’t do this,” Why? Because there are stages of doing. One can collect the materials needed and just have a stash (the fancy name for a hoard). Or, supplies can be put together ready to be made into something or another. In cross-stitch it is often referred to as kitting up a project.

From there you can move on to starting things. One thing, several things, a dozen things. If you are a serial starter – obviously your pleasure comes from starting something new and when that particular project gets to be difficult/repetitive/boring you just move on to something else.

Then there is the discussion which centers around those who have dozens of projects and those who are monogamous and finish each project before stating the next.

I because seriously tired of listening to the arguments. I am a progress person. It isn’t quite loving the process for me, it is seeing that I am accomplishing something. The product? Meh, it may sit without final finishing for months. What I have also noticed is that having too many things underway starts to make me nuts. It means that no progress is made, or the progress is so glacially slow that it hardly counts. I actually like having things organized, but I hate keeping notes.

End result?

These two projects are excellent –

The first being Stitchonomy’s Halloween 2020 and the second pattern is from Tiny Modernist – Halloween Calendar. I am happily stitching a square on each every day. Nice, bite size piece, each complete in its own and not overwhelming.

However – there is also

Baba Yaga

Pattern by WitchyStitcher that I am attempting to put in at least two thread lengths a day. The great thing about this one is that, altho there might be seven or so colors, it is really almost all black which provides large solid areas to stitch.

and the fourth and final project for today was Halloween Sampler (also by Tiny Modernist) –

starting on the second row

yes – progress is being made

New light

Holly Doyne Posted on by

is being shed on me.

Ok, I decided to not get too far into the puns. Just to relate that I purchased (thank you Amazon) a new small lamp to sit next to my chair in the living room.

simple, useful…



Oh, of course it was on sale. But it has several important features – like a long cord, two outlets and 4 USB plugs besides having a lovely and bright light which I can direct toward my computer, reading, or stitching.

Otherwise, it has been a Webinar day – starting at 0600 which is too early for any reasonable human being (but corresponds to a reasonable time for the speakers in the Philippines and South Africa). I guess I should just be glad that I am not living in Hawaii… 

Tomorrow will be more of the same. The great thing about virtual meetings? Among others of course, is that I can listen, learn, and stitch or knit at the same time. Multi-tasking!

Speaking of which – 

 

Covered in Hair

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

Not mine, not anything to be scared about.

hair all over

In Jan 2019, on my way back from Sweden, I purchased a lovely reindeer hide which has been cushioning one of the dining room chairs for the last several months when it hasn’t been keeping me warm and comfortable while stitching.

warmth and padding

Unfortunately, Miriam’s cat likes to “pluck” things with fur/hair. He has gone after one of my sheepskins a couple of times. The most recent of which was last night when I woke to find a cat on my bed attempting to divest me of said sheepskin. He was alternating between trying to dig under the covers and hooking his claws into the edge. I am not sure where he was taking it – but it was a significant effort on his part. I found one tuft on the floor in the hall – so I guess he won one of the rounds.

George informed me this morning that the cat had been busy while we were gone. This is the heap of hair he managed to pull out of the hide between Thursday afternoon and this morning.

clump the size of two fists

Shall we just leave it with – I am NOT pleased.

He is permanently banned from our bedroom and I will be adding the back room to the list. Since it is the room in which he can look out at the windows at trees, birds, and squirrels – he loses more than I.

There is no baseball today. I don’t appreciate American Football – all I can think of is the risk of long term head injuries.

So it is back to my cross-stitch. This is a lovely time of year – Halloween all over

Heading home

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. Since I am not a small child, I really don’t have any excuses for my whining.

But, since this was another one of “those years” – perhaps the whole year disaster is my fault? It is as logical as just about anything else I have hear recently on the news….

Anyway – we headed back to Berkeley this morning. The drive could have been worse. There are HOV lanes a good portion of the way, the number of trucks on a Saturday is less than on a week day. And. as the weather report out of Fresno stated – warm, hazy, and smoky air with poor quality. No interest in stopping anywhere along the line. 

We made it home. Miriam’s cat was delighted to see me. Making sure that I understood that my first job coming in the door was to provide him treats.  And my job now, at the end of the evening is to provide a napping location.

 

also tired

Pecking away

Holly Doyne Posted on by 2

No, not me on the keyboard. Nor me sitting there unpicking something that I thought I had stitched correctly only to find the mistake several rows further down the cross stitch.

No – this pecking was for real. A slightly red on the bead real.

I was sitting on the back deck, the first day we have had in just about forever that the air was fresh, clear, and cool. Somewhere ahead and in the redwoods was this irregular tapping sound. Hammering coming from one of the houses on the road above us?

No. One each small woodpecker busily excavating, stopping for a second or two before resuming his work.

His head was not as bright as the picture in the Audubon Bird Guide  which leads me to believe (along with the fact that red-crested woodpeckers are found in the SE and not the Pacific Northwest, that this particular young bird is a different woodpecker. Or sap-sucker? No black and white strikes Anyway – he provided more than an hour of entertainment.

Modor?

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This is what the world looks like this morning

The time is 0844 on US Pacific Daylight Savings Time. Right now, that “daylight” is an obvious misnomer. Traffic is light, there is ash on everything. The photos were captured on my Cannon 5-D. Cell phones, as it turns out, even the new ones, are not equipped to capture orange sky secondary to reflected sunlight off ash.

The high heat of the last few days obviously has resulted in new wildfires as well as hampering CALFIRE as they desperately attempt to control multiple extensive burning areas.

So far, we are physically safe, but I am making sure that we have everything prepared for a sudden evacuation.

This is the current map –

current fire map from FireTracker

neighborhood visitor

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at 1600 in the afternoon

Last night was a complete chorus. This afternoon, Dani & Alex’s dogs were going nuts.

Looking down over the fence at the end of our parking area to our neighbor’s driveway, the cause was obvious. No clue why it was out in the middle of the day, but worried that this particular coyote is not well..

Helper?

Holly Doyne Posted on by  

The guest bedroom also functions as the TV room. And then there is Kitty Ramon; aka Chicken Little –

who apparently thought that something interesting was on the front of the advert.

This particular bright and shiny brochure was produced and distributed by one of the many small ships on rivers and Great Lakes. I forget which one, but they are actively advertising for business. Not sure that they are being realistic with their offers of sailing from Chicago to Toronto, but who am I to speculate?

Anyway – he has his opinions, the cat that is.

including when

my lap is to be devoted to him, rather than stitching or knitting.

another bad air day

Holly Doyne Posted on by

No, we are not at fire risk, But the smoke? That is another complete story. The last several days have fallen into one of the following:

  • bad
  • worse
  • horrible.

 

the air quality a couple of days has won us the award of “the worst place on earth.” Which, considering Beijing and Delhi are frequently seen at the top, you can get the idea. Even the incredible sunsets can’t make up for it. That is when I can see as far as the water. 

In case you hadn’t heard – we have 32,000 acres currently burning and less than 5% under control. And just to make it clear -these fires have NOTHING to do with deadfall or heavy forests – these are grasslands, open area, housing areas. The fires are the result of lightening strikes – over 10,000 in three + days due to the insane weather. 

Did I mention dry lightning? The rain never fell and everything was already super dry before this happened.  Dani is not headed to Dixon – the fires are within four miles of where she works. Travis Air Force Base went into Evac mode early today – which potentially compounds the fire fighting challenge (air base, reload, refuel, National Guard etc). 

California didn’t need this, didn’t cause this – and certainly does not need political abuse from Washington DC when there is an obvious clear lack of knowledge on what has actually transpired. We can only be grateful that the surrounding states are helping to the best of their abilities. But everyone is short this fire season which has started 2-3 months early.

Oh, and there is COVID-19 which is making evacuation, shelters, support, and fire fighting that much more challenging. 

I am almost afraid to ask – what next for fear the San Andreas or Hayward Faults might decide to scratch an itch.