Field trip

This morning there was blue sky and sunshine after weeks of grey and clouds so today was the day to bring my sewing machine in for some look-see. After millions of miles of sewing/quilting, a long period of no-use, and then some quite successful clothes sewing this past fall, I went in one day to do a quick repair and it said – NO. It pretended like maybe it would consent to sew and then no.

So after a few possible trips that were put aside for iffy weather, Mom and I set off to Gloversville Sewing Center so my trusty machine could get looked at. I am hopeful that it will be a belt or something easily fixed but I’ve had this machine since January 1994 and rode it hard. I did dutifully clean and oil it during all those years but I get it being tired and cranky now. Will wait and see what the report is.

I am not morally opposed to getting a new sewing machine but I didn’t really want the couple dozen embroidery stitches on this machine, so I don’t get the selling point of 150 embroidery stitches. I want straight stitching, basic zig-zag, maybe a couple edge-finishing options and droppable feet for easy free-handing. I don’t think that’s asking a lot. When I was doing a lot of machine quilting, I would sometimes put a strip of masking tape over the two adjustment knobs on the front, to prevent them getting bumped and getting me into zigzag mode accidentally. Now all the machines have large touch screens on the horizontal part, with lots of screens to go through to make your choices… (eyeball roll here)

And of course since we were there, we had to look at all the fabric. She found some fun stuff. I found a couple things which may get used for like a vest lining or something:

Field trip

NaPoWriMo Day Three

Thought I’d slide up route 22
to visit Robert Frost today
a good cool bright-blue-sky day
but big red signs at the state line
warned me Vermont was closed
well, sort of, you know
and it was too hard to figure out.
Trying to do the right thing
after a year of trying but
it’s complicated
So sorry Robert. Did you go by Bob?
I’ve always wondered that but don’t
know you well enough to ask.
I have been thinking about you these
past few days since your birthday.
I was thinking about you back home
watching the nuthatches travel my birch
hopping up and down wide curly trunks.
I think you would have enjoyed that
both the ride up and down the valley
and the sunny afternoon under the birch.

and a related haiku or two:

it’s complicated
living in the between times
wanting to fly free

no visit to vermont
quarantine is still the rule
I’ll read Frost at home.

NaPoWriMo Day Three

On Being Sick in Time of COVID-19

Yes I was struck down by something last week. I’d gone off to a talk at the Clark (sorry guys) and driving home felt sort of punk. Chest feels rough, that weird head thing when you’re probably running a temp. This went into a dry cough and felt like it was going to a typical bronchitis thing. Napping? I’m suddenly good at it. Normally, for me, things start in the head and go down, ruining voice, mild cough, deep cough, and then better with cough that goes on for weeks. This was not that but stayed the same until yesterday when suddenly I started sneezing. I waited to take a claratin and then everything went back to how it had been. Weird interruption by allergies? slash shrug.

It felt plain weird to be home sick while the whole world is sort of freaking out about COVID-19. Call in with “I’m still sick, sorry” and wonder if they’re like “oh thank god she’s not coming in!” LOL. Maybe it was just the low fever talking.

I stayed home. I had recently grocery shopped, although not everything on my “emergency list” but I was good. (And I’d picked up eggs and bread so I worked on my “soft-boiling eggs by observing how quickly the shells dry” skills) But let me tell you friends, apart from having the mandatory symptomatic relief stuff (and checking to see that your digital thermometer actually works…hey the hand is 85% accurate!), here’s what really saves your butt in times like this.

Well, this. And not so much this when you’re trying to sleep and keep sticking out a foot to cool off, LOL.

THIS! This is my thermos. Everyday, just about, I make hot tea in it and bring it to work or out to paint or at least have it in the car. When I went to Wales I had a similar one which proved a great comfort when I’d get turned around (aka lost) and would pause to reflect on the landscape. This one has fallen down the stairs a few times, leaving it with some dings and some finger holds but it does a GREAT job of keeping things very hot.

So, when I’d make a cup of hot tea this week I’d make another in this. Awhile later I could have a second cup without getting up. This thermos is the best money I’ve spent on something in the past several years. It also has a pour-through stopper which works like a charm. It holds about twelve ounces which is a mugful, but you get 3-4 capfuls which is a nice way to drink hot tea whether you’re sick or not. If I’m out painting, it distracts me so things can dry.

This was one of the Salada tags this week. This box is all about smiles for some reason. So remember to keep your distance and let your smile tell the tale!

On Being Sick in Time of COVID-19

Day Four, En Plein Air

Today as we were scoping out views at the top of the hill Bob, our teacher, suggested that I should try something with something in the fore and mid ground rather than just long views. So I picked a spot where the crest of the hill had a tree perched on it and then it dropped away to some pretty color trees and then the rolling hills of (turns out) Vermont. I did a sketch in my smaller sketchbook and then decided to just redo it with better placement on bigger paper and have at.

I know I could add more leafy areas but I’m mostly ok with it the way it is.

We did have some moments of sunshine which really lit up the world, like these birch trees. Hopefully more of that tomorrow.

In this life, so much of what we cannot control is caustic. The intrusive things we see, hear and smell make their way into our lives on a regular basis. If a painting can take you away from the crap out there, and help you scrape the day away, that’s appeal.
— Gail Griffiths

Altan – St. Patrick’s Eve

Last night Mom and I headed up to the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall to enjoy the great music of Altan. They are a wonderful band and put on a good show and they had a very appreciative audience. I had downloaded their new album on the night it was released and enjoyed the live mix of new and old, with explanations as to where it had all come from. Also, that we could imagine what we wanted any of the gaelic language songs to be about, rather than the sad tragedies they usually memorialize.

Next up, Billy Collins reading in Manchester VT in April.

Home. Week One in Progress.

Got home the morning of Friday, after a long flight from NZ (and a short one to Auckland) and a long wait in LA (where I was glad it wasn’t the inner circle of hell as it was two years ago), a long red-eye to Philly and a short hop to Albany. There was only a little dozing during any of that. While I was not-sleeping, I was listening to Lincoln in the Bardo as an audiobook. Whoa.

I tried to stay awake because I had to sleep Friday night – because I had to go to work the next day. I dozed for about an hour on Mom’s couch and managed to roll over my glasses, squashing and breaking them. Now that’s a pronblem because I need them to drive and to work. I drive out to the place where I got them and miraculously they had the same frames and were able to pop my lenses into them.

That night I slept pretty good after dinner with mom and packing up the cats.

First day back at work… well.

Saturday night. No sleep at all until just before I would normally get up. Booooo! So I was pretty zombified the whole of Sunday. Nothing could have kept me from sleeping last night.

Woke up this morning when the alarm went off and was granted 45 minutes back in bed because some kitten – yes say it with me – SOME KITTEN – had reset the clock, probably by walking over it. Thankfully ahead not back.

Hopefully the worst is past on all that LOL. All that: worth every single minute of that whole trip. Tomorrow morning the kittens are going to the vets for the first time. All together now – awwww!

A good memory is one trained to forget the trivial. — Clifton Fadiman

Mom and I, Snow and Snow

Mom and I went to Lowell to visit the New England Quilt Museum and arrived just in time for a blizzard. The museum was closed on Thursday but we did get in on Friday due to the New England-ish work ethics of one of the employees. We of course had brought lots of stuff to keep us busy and we spent the blizzard day watching the snow and the snow clearing crew out the window and binging on Pokemon and political stuff.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

Came home, shoveled out my driveway, went to work the next day.

Spent Sunday snowed in again.

Rinse and repeat!

Tea Tag FTW – in for the night

Mom and I are watching the weather, catching pokemon and came prepared to do some serious coloring

Mid-December, where’ve you been MB?

I have realized that I haven’t been posting here since my return from Wales. I think this happened after my NZ trip too. It seems to take e me time to recover from the jet lag (and after NZ, the bronchitis), settle back into the routine and this time, throw myself into the madness that is holiday in retail. Yeah.

The trip was marvelous. I’m still looking through the photos and thinking about the things I saw and did. It was my first solo trip planning and doing and it certainly taught me a lot. It also taught me that things can and will go wrong and there are always ways to fix or get through it… as long as you don’t keep spinning your wheels about what went wrong. For example – I could not find a place to drop off my car in Cardiff. I missed my first train connection and then had to give up on the rescheduled one but my choice was to keep trying to find a place to bring the car and then how to get to manchester OR drive to my next scheduled bed near the airport and call it a super-long day. Arrived at the B&B very late but that was better than no sleep at all and I was within range of the airport WITH a drop off.

Landscapes were great everywhere. Rolling hills, stone walls and sheep. Just enough autumn color, mostly from poplar and oak. Old there is much older than what is considered ancient at home. In the UK there is a legal right to walk from point A to B, even across privatete land. These paths are marked and mapped and often involved stiles across stone fences or revolving stiles through wire fences or gates that you have to open and close securely behind you to keep the sheep and or cattle where they should be. Sheep poo on your boots, no extra charge. Went to an exhibit at a castle and had money out for entrance fee and the man at the ticket booth looked a little surprised – there’s no charge ma’am!

So many days of wonderful skies. I saw so many rainbows! Rain was often very localized so it might be raining just over there and sunny behind you – the perfect makings of a colorful moment. It poured down rain only a few times. One day, when I chose St. David’s Cathedral as my “good day for an indoor activity” place, it was so windy that it literally blew the water out of the road puddles. I got wet but I didn’t fall over!

Local folks were always ready and enthusiastic in telling you all about their local church or historic fort or whatever. There were enough people standing by to tell you stuff that it made me a little embarrassed on how little I probably know about my own historic stuff.

Had meaningful and considered conversations with folks, everyone from the car rental person to a fellow-hostel-guest about current events. This always started with “so we had this big surprise here (in the UK) recently about the Brexit vote and now you…” and once I’d nodded or given the appropriate sign of dismay, they’d tell me all their fears and worries about the newly elected president and ask all kinds of good questions about our election system and why people don’t vote and … well yeah. All those questions.

I did do a little painting while I was there – darn it I brought all these supplies and I’m going to use them or else! – and you might have noticed that I took quite a few photos.

So will I go back? Yes. And I won’t worry about seeing everything – maybe I’ll spend more time in just one place. Maybe I’ll do Scotland or Ireland too!

Greetings from Penmachno, Wales

Using some wifi to upload photos from the past few days to the Flickr album. I can’t say I was distraught over unplugging from all the news and happenings across the pond and there’s something to be said for immersing yourself in what you’re doing especially when it’s vacation.

The workshop was just great – wonderful people and good teachers, stretching exercises and feedback from the two who run the course and from the other students. So much talk about writing, and writers and politics and everything else you can imagine. Some wine. A lot of good food. A long walk on the first free afternoon and a walk to see an old (iron age) church and then a walk along the walls of the Conwys Castle on the next. The latter was followed by a nice field trip to a “pub” – actually a bar in a hotel where I sampled a very nice flat, darker cider. 7.5% I think. I got dissuaded from having a pint but ended up having two halves so…

It was sad leaving but everyone seemed ready to go out there and not only get writing but get down to the business of submitting things. Charge! Make it so!

This is a pretty big dump of photos, beginning with Caernafon Castle and the Weeping Window exhibit.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js