random thoughts – Day 2,200 (Thursday) – oj and couch time

Just like so many times in junior high and high school, I woke up with a sore throat. Several times overnight I woke up and couldn’t swallow. When I finally got up, hours later, it wasn’t worse, but it also wasn’t better. I did the thing with a hand mirror bouncing the light into my mouth and saw it was bright red and swollen. A long adolescent acquaintance with sore throat ailments led me to check for white spots (none) and to check my neck for swollen glands (not found). I didn't feel sick enough to stay in bed in pajamas all day so I dressed in jeans and a hoody.

Kiki at the window.

For some reason, when my throat is aggravated, I want orange juice. Luckily, there was orange juice in the fridge and I went for it. Logic seems to indicate that OJ would be too acidic, but it feels nice and cool on my throat. 

After drinking juice and later coffee, there was a lot of laying around on the couch. The day's lofty plan to start the big dance skirt was postponed and the home sweatshop remained closed for the day. Kiki stationed herself nearby on the windowsill and gazed upon the outside world until I stood up for a second and she ran to the bedroom.  

As a student, while home sick from school with what was usually diagnosed as strep throat or tonsilitis (often with a bonus ear ache), I would hunker down in my bed for the day with a book. My favorite book for being at home was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Today, I considered reading the book about the dancer/choreographer Martha Graham that I started last week and carried it over to the couch. 

On the couch.

Instead of reading, I picked up my phone and played Words with Friends, read news and emails, participated in several text conversations, and played at least a dozen games of chess in Duolingo (and won more games than I lost). The phone usage was so heavy my cell had to be charged twice.

The daylong absence of exertion seems to have worked, because by evening, the throat looked less fiery and was less swollen. I never once thought to check my temperature and by the time I thought of it, it seemed pointless. In any event, my throat is already improved and with luck, by tomorrow, it will be just a memory. Fingers crossed.

random thoughts – Day 2,199 (Wednesday) – started and done

Underway.

The black and gold top for the costume for the June show was started. The tissue pattern pieces were smoothed and altered to be longer. The fabric was folded and spread on the dining table. The pieces were pinned down and checked. Then they were unpinned moved around to be set tighter for less waste.

There was plenty of fabric for the top, and I tend to set pieces close to each other, so running out of material was never an issue. After cutting out the pieces, the piece of fabric that remained was larger than what I used. That means I can make something else someday to go with the top for another costume.

Most of the day was invested in making the top. Test strips were sewn to check the machine’s thread tension and stitch length and then, it was off to the races. In the past, I avoided sewing with stretch fabrics because I thought they were tricky to work with, but this project was easy. Lesson learned.  

Some of the time was spent reading and re-reading the pattern instructions and consulting “The Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing” for tips on working with knit fabric. There was also the search for things like ball point needles and seam tape to stabilize the gathered center front and the shoulder seams to prevent stretching. I couldn’t find my seam tape so lengths of ribbon were cut to use instead. Somewhere along the line of checking for needles and seam tape, a kitchen counter and the top of a bookcase were rearranged, and some cabinets were dusted because, well, side quests happen.

Done!

The only rush to complete the top today was personal satisfaction. The job search is essentially dead in the water, and I'll take any victories I can snatch. The sewing project expanded to fill the time available which in this case was pretty much all day. 

Suddenly, it was the last step of tying off and trimming loose threads and it was done. Fini. Finito. Acabado. Now the skirt can be started.

Now that the top has been made once and the lessons were learned, I could probably knock another one out in an hour or two.

random thoughts – Day 2,198 (Tuesday) – fixin' to start

It was another lightly snow dusted morning, and once again it melted off by midday. The forecast for tomorrow is 51 degrees and 65 for Thursday, so maybe spring is fixin' to start acting like spring a bit more and that is something to look forward to.

A trip to the grocery store for green grapes and grape tomatoes was partially successful. There were just a few bunches of grapes left and they didn’t look great, but the tomatoes were good. And so did the crackers, New York Cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt, half-and-half, and a few other items in another example of overachieving.

Fixin' to sew.

The afternoon saw time dedicated to beginning a new black and gold stretchy top for the June dance show and the dining table is now officially covered in fabric and tissue. The pattern pieces were cut apart today and tomorrow the layout onto the fabric will begin. And maybe the sewing.

The top should be a quick project. My favorite lesson from production operations management class in grad school is: “Do the quick jobs first.” That way, they can come out of the queue and move to the next step. Turns out it works well in non-work scenarios as well. So, I'm fixin' to start the top that requires one yard of fabric and three pattern pieces. Once made, the thrill of success will propel me to start the skirt with the 25-yard ruffle on the bottom. Easy peasy.

random thoughts – Day 2,197 (Monday) – spring snow and cooking

Morning dusting.

Another ripple of spring snow rolled in and this morning the yards looked like a batch of pastries or candies covered with powdered sugar. It was pretty. By afternoon, the snow had melted off the lawns, just in time for snow to start falling again.

It was a quiet day at the house with no commitments on the calendar for most of the day The litter box was cleaned and the trash went out to the curb. The coin belt cleaned the other day was touched up and loose rings were tightened.

Fresh baked quiche.

A crustless quiche was made with American and sharp cheddar cheese, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and mushroom because on gray weather days I seem to be inspired to cook. This works because regardless of the weather, unless I am ill, I am nearly always inspired to eat. 

Unfortunately, the inspiration to eat is not always accompanied by the wisest, healthiest dining and snacking choices. Today’s wise, healthy snacks of grape tomatoes and green grapes were later offset by my ravaging of the rest of the Devil Dogs. To make myself feel better, I chocked it up to “balance” and resolved to try to do better tomorrow. It will require a trip to the grocery store to restock both the grape tomatoes and the green grapes, which has the dangerous potential to become a much larger shop.

random thoughts – Day 2,196 (Sunday) – rodeo party

It was an off-week for dance group which worked out great for me as I had a family event to attend. Baby G turned one year old the other day and there was a rodeo themed party in his honor starting at noon. 

It was great to be around family, extended family, and friends, some of whom I hadn't seen since a couple years ago at the wedding. A photo wall featured pictures of Baby G and milestones of his first year. Eight teeth! Favorite music is the theme to Law and Order. This wee lad is fascinating!

The rental hall looked great with tables set with wood and cow print layered table cloths, centerpieces, western hats, rodeo/western themed word search puzzle, and adorable little favor bags with a sticker featuring Baby G in western garb, a horseshoe pin, and a cute cow. 

The star of the day was attired in jeans and a shirt printed with his name and age. Some of the guests dressed to the rodeo theme with western boots, hats, fringe, and denim jeans and jackets, and there were plenty of hats planted around the room for anyone who wanted one. I dug out the bolo tie and a big belt buckle with a longhorn steer on it which I forgot was even in my collection of big belt buckles. It was once my wish to find a platter-sized rodeo prize buckle in a thrift shop to be the crowning piece in the collection, but finally lost interest in the search. Today was the first time in a decade I even thought about the buckles I used to wear all the time. 

Snack bowls featured Chicken Feed (Chex mix), Hay Bales (Rice Krispie bars), and Bugles that had a thematic name I have forgotten. The catering was delicious with salads, fries, and burger sliders, all with thematic menu names. 

We all gathered around the high chair and sang the birthday song to Baby G and he tore into a cupcake. I imagined what it must have looked like from Baby G's perspective with a room full of giants staring at him and singing out of tune and then laughing. It seemed like the seeds of a nightmare. After that, I tore into a cupcake topped with the rich and creamy frosting that I love.

Birthday boy.

The guest of honor made the rounds in parental arms throughout the day and visited with all the guests with a big smile. He smiled all day, and even when he got fussy, it lasted barely a minute and then he was back to beaming. 

After a couple hours of socializing, Baby G was zonked out asleep on his beautiful Mama’s shoulder. I get it little guy, socializing is exhausting. And napping is wonderful.

Happy birthday Baby G, it was great to party with you!

random thoughts – Day 2,195 (Saturday) – winner of a day

The postal service alert for the morning indicated a package was arriving. This was a surprise, because I hadn’t ordered anything and the automatic shipments for Kiki’s treats, food, and pellet litter aren’t due for weeks. I had no idea what it might be and couldn’t wait to find out. I stopped for the mail on the way to the grocery store.

The package was small enough to fit into the mailbox, at least from the backside of the neighborhood post office where the mail person puts the mail in. On the front side with the keylock, due to the framework to attach the door onto the mailbox, the delivered box was one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch larger than the mailbox opening and wouldn’t come out. In the process of trying to extract the box, I tore my coat sleeve on the mailbox door. Then, I skinned a finger trying to maneuver the cardboard box out of the metal box.

It would be highly unusual to take a toolbox to the mailbox or the grocery store, so I was lacking helpful items like a box cutter. Liberating the parcel required crudely tearing the paper tape sealing the box with the mailbox key, pulling off the end of the box, and reaching into to remove packing paper and the contents. Then, I was able to crunch the empty box enough to yank it out of the mailbox. With the right director, timing, and filming angles, it might have had the making of a solid comedy scene. The box contained a thoughtful gift from a friend in another state and was definitely worth the effort to free it from the mail box.

Later in the day, a couple friends and I had dinner at their house. We feasted on salad, curry cous cous and tender chicken that had been marinated in buttermilk, coated, and pan fried. It was delicious. 

After dinner, we went to Greenfield to see "Molten, An Evening of Bellydance and Live Music from the Valley Arabic Music Ensemble." The band had nine musicians playing oud, violin, frame drum, clarinet, accordion, nay (rim blown flute), riq (tambourine), and finger cymbals. The live music shows I’ve seen before had two to four musicians, so this was even more impressive. Before the second act, the musicians had a chance to talk about their instruments and how western notes and instruments differ from Middle Eastern notes and instruments which was interesting. 

There were nine dance performances, mostly solos, and I recognized several dancers by name from social media and others by sight from other shows. They were all experienced dancers who have danced across the country and in some cases, across the world. The costumes were sparkly, vibrant marvels with beading, embroidery, sequins, and tassels. Silk veils floated in the air and costumes shimmered in the lights.

There were beverages and Turkish Delight (pistachio flavor). After hearing of it for ages, it was fun to see what all the Narnia fuss was about and I might have a new favorite sweet. I already located some recipes online, because the Internet is wonderful when it isn't being an overbearing algorithm arse. I'm not saying I will make the stuff, but with a recipe it's at least an option.

This day really had it all. Surprise gifts. Delicious dinner. Belly dancers. Live music. Turkish Delight. Winner, winner, and there really was a chicken dinner.

random thoughts – Day 2,194 (Friday) – spring

Robin on the first day of spring.

The first day of spring rolled in gray and misty, with some gentle rain, and later in the day, a downpour followed by varying intensities of rain. At least it wasn’t snowing. I’m not sure if I expected a sudden explosion of wildflowers or something else dramatic, but it felt a little disappointing. A robin in the back yard had the kindness to stay put long enough for me to go into another room to grab my camera that happens to be a phone and return for pictures. Thank you robin on the first day of spring.

The only trip across the threshold to the outside was to drop some items into the recycle bin and walk to the back of the house to check the new dryer vent which was thankfully still attached to the house and blowing hot air outside like it is supposed to. The laundry is back to needing only 40 minutes to be properly dry and all is well in the laundry room again.

It was the perfect day for old-school comfort food. Today, that meant the boxed macaroni with the powdered cheese, with sliced hot dogs in it. Half of it was lunch. The rest was supper.  It was good.

Cleaned up.

The most productive activity of the day was another date with the Barkeepers Friend and cleaning another coin belt. I like tasks like this with visible results. The cleaning was done in the living room in the late afternoon of the gloomy weather day and it was not the best lighting. While the belt is much improved, daylight may reveal some missed tarnish that needs some extra touchup work, but no worries. I can tackle that when I start one of the next belts in the queue.