random thoughts – Day 2,382 (Thursday) – glassy eyed

Look at that glass!

It was another day of quiet contentment. Another coat of Mod Podge was added to the photos on canvas project. When I got chilly I washed some dishes by hand and the hot soapy water felt sensuous and comforting and took the icy chill out of my hands.

Trips were made to the outside world to deposit a check and buy provisions including greeting cards, storage containers, and books for $1.50 each at Dollar Tree, and a few food basics at Hannaford because Ben and Jerry ice cream was on sale there.

The most energy was invested in frequently pausing the show I’ve been streaming on Prime (The Almighty Johnsons). One of the settings in the show is a bar with some cool stained glass windows over which I am starry-eyed and swooning, and I’ve been trying to get photos of said windows so I can design something similar (and smaller). Because it's a character a driven-show and not an architectural showcase, it’s rare for a scene to feature a window without people, and countless photos have been taken in the hope of getting one with minimal people. I think I got it enough to be able to sketch and plan. The stopping of shows to photograph cool glass windows and doors has been an ongoing situation. The Korean dramas have some stunners, along with beautifully decorated refrigerators. 

Another window!

The next step after all the glass sketching and planning is to start tracing onto glass and cutting, but there is a logistics concern. There is wall to wall Berber carpeting through most of the house, which, no matter how much care is exercised, is sure to capture glass bits (known from the experience of my own cut up feet). and I’m afraid Kiki will pick them up in her paws before I can get them all picked up with the vacuum. I haven’t sewed since June and am still finding pins embedded in the living room carpet (as recently as this morning) despite weekly vacuuming. 

The only floors without carpeting are the two bathrooms, the kitchen, and the laundry area. The kitchen has good natural lighting with the skylight, but I don’t think cutting glass on a kitchen counter is a wise idea, with food prep and all.

A good short-term solution is to keep registering for workshops at the Worcester Craft Center and using the nice tall counters, grinders, and soldering irons. The ideal home situation is to upgrade the lighting in the craft/still a hot mess storage room, and keep the door closed to keep Kiki out and her paws safe. The ideal extension to the ideal situation is removing the carpeting from the craft room and putting down vinyl, which is easier to clean with a damp mop, but would require emptying the very full room. I am not psychologically prepared to deal something of that magnitude just yet.

random thoughts – Day 2,381 (Wednesday) – nesting activity

Ghost shutters.

Fall has arrived in its chilly glory. The house was 55 degrees when I woke up. I am determined to not turn on the furnace yet. Oil cost a small fortune last year and it’s much more expensive this year.  It will be long season of long johns and sweaters and endless cups of fruit tea and bowls of soup.

A few cashmere and lightweight wool sweaters live in the drawer year-round in case there is a summer hike or bonfire to attend, and a couple more that were bought recently, so dressing was easier than it might have been. It was the favorite alpaca sweater for the win.

The contractors returned this morning to do more work on the house. The shutters that were removed yesterday left ghostly images on the house. The new siding will not include shutters.

Parts were painted from the current gray to the color of the siding (Moonlit Moss). There was some hammering and measuring. At 2:00, they disappeared.

Works in process.

While the contractor van blocked my car in the driveway and siding-related activities took place outside the house, nesting activities occurred inside. A decorated dance bra was deconstructed to study the assembly method and cut out the stretched out elastic straps for replacement. More stained glass designs were drafted. Three of the 4 x 4 canvases prepped on Tuesday received photos and the first coat of sealer.

The couch cover used for the summer because it’s cooler than the couch fabric and the southwest style blanket on the couch back that adds color and texture to the room were removed, laundered, and stored in a closet. The crocheted afghan from my aunt which is perfect for cooler weather and adds a a cozy texture was returned to the couch.

The fluffy purple bathrobe that lived in the bottom of the hamper since it got warm last spring, was finally washed and hung on the bathroom door. Summer capris were removed from the closet and replaced with the fall/winter pants. The productive day kind of makes up for some of the unproductive days preceding it.

random thoughts – Day 2,380 (Tuesday) – house stuff

Stuff coming off the house.

It was the usual lounge about on the couch drinking coffee morning, when, at 8:50, a white van pulled into the driveway and I launched myself into the bedroom to change out of pajamas and into jeans and a sweater. Years of quick ballet costume and fashion show changes has sometimes come in handy. The van had backed out and left, but a shiny silver pickup truck was parked out front. The van returned a couple minutes later with the contractor and his colleague, on site to begin the preliminary siding work and I was glad I was dressed.

I stepped outside for a quick touch base. It wasn't long before the old shutters, trim material, and skirting had been removed and stacked in the back yard. Later, while checking on the progress, I saw a bunch of white wood flower bed edging in the crawlspace that will be perfect for the flower bed planned for the side of the house. I asked the guys to pull it out and set it near the shed. I’ll clean it up and maybe paint it, then store it in the shed until spring. There may not be enough time to set a flower bed after the siding is completed, but I’ll be ready next spring. I'm also glad I didn't find any edging when I was shopping for it earlier. 

American chop suey
with provolone.

When I got to thinking about food I decided to make American Chop Suey, one of my favorite dishes going back to childhood. There was extra cooked macaroni left from the macaroni and cheese bake of the other day so one step was already done. After the green pepper and onion were chopped and cooking, I realized the can of diced tomatoes believed to be in the pantry didn’t actually exist, but there was a jar of sauce. Later, I discovered all the sliced American cheese had been used in the mac and cheese and there was none to break up to top the stuff on my plate like I did when I was a kid. The sauce was bit thick and the provolone cheese I used on top wasn’t correct, so it wasn’t exactly like the memory of Mom’s American chop suey, but it still tasted pretty good.

The afternoon included painting several 4-inch by 4-inch canvases black. Two are for a specific project, but it seemed wise to prep some extras while I was at it. I printed one of my favorite Kiki photos and will mount it tomorrow. Another one will feature a photo of Moose and Winston looking adorable.

random thoughts – Day 2,379 (Monday) – hearts of glass

Copper foiled heart.

My second of three classes in the copper foil technique developed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his Tiffany Studio was today. I learned the step of applying the copper foil to each glass piece, and then soldering the pieces together to finish the piece started last week. It’s a heart rendered in various textures of clear glass.

The foil process was fun and nowhere near as intimidating or dreadful as I thought it was during my disastrous previous attempt, but back then, I was winging it on my own. This time, I have the benefit of an experienced instructor who taught me today how to smooth the foil and keep the solder lines smooth, and it went a million times better.

Plans for future glasswork.

There was enough time left in today’s session to choose another template, select glass from the scrap bins, cut the pieces and do an initial grind to smooth the edges. This all went much quicker than last week because the process was fresh in my mind. Next week, I’ll do a final fit on the new piece, apply the copper foil, and solder the piece.

After I got home, a few new heart patterns were drafted for future pieces. These will include bevels because I love bevels, and there are still quite a lot of them left from my Tennessee stained glass production frenzy.

 

random thoughts – Day 2,378 (Sunday) – tori day

Tori at Saima Park.

The quest of visiting fall events continues. It’s the crazy time of year when everything is happening at once before the season turns to winter and bad weather can sweep in and really mess up the best planned events. Attending the Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race on Saturday meant missing the Johnny Appleseeed Festival in Leominster. After I was home from Lowell, I learned there was also an Indie Book Festival in nearby Winchendon, but it was too late to get to it before it ended. Maybe next year.

Today was the Tori (Finnish Market) at Saima Park from 10-2. For a few years I had dance class on Sunday mornings until noon and by the time I left class, the car would just autopilot home and I would be just far enough away when I remembered the tori that it felt too late to turn back.

This morning, I got my arse into gear and dressed for the chilly damp weather. It was drizzling with rain predicted for later, which I thought would keep the attendance low, but at around 10:30, the place seemed crowded. An attendant directed cars to the few open spots on the lawn near the pavilion, but I found a spot outside the gate and grabbed it. My hair was still damp from the shower and a walk in the drizzle wasn’t going to make it any worse. My friend who was working at the event thought maybe more people had come early to avoid the heavier rain predicted for the afternoon.

Tori haul.

Vendor tables lined the perimeter under the pavilion with another island of tables set in the center. My first target was The Kitchen Garden’s table for coffee bread and rusk, which is hard toasted thin slices of coffee bread, and probably the Finnish equivalent of biscotti in texture, which usually sells out early. This bakery is one or two towns away from home and I can get these items almost any time I want, but it’s more fun to get it at the tori while looking at a bunch of other stuff. The cinnamon rolls and other sweets were successfully resisted.

There was local honey and beeswax candles; handknit hats and scarves; decorative items; handcrafted tonttu (Finnish gnome); dishware made in Finland (Arabia) and candle holders (iitala); photography; and decor. One vendor had mugs, placemats, dish towels, tee shirts, woven straw decorations, plastic license plate holders declaring "Proud to be Finnish" and "Finn Driver", and tons of other things, and I bought some coasters and a painted tile.

At another table I bought Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian pasty of rice porridge baked in a rye crust). We made these in the Finnish language class I used to take. I know how to make them, but for one person it’s just enough work and enough of a yield to be too much. Buying four already made pasties was much more reasonable. As soon as I got home, they were heated for brunch. Maybe I’ll make some for Thanksgiving or Christmas when a lot of us gather and I won't be dealing with storing and eating dozens of them.

Baked mac and cheese.

The dreary weather inspired cooking and a macaroni and cheese dish was baked using all sorts of random cheese bits in the freezer for exactly this reason. Provolone, America, feta, and sharp cheddar all went into the mix with parmesan and paprika on top. I meant to add cottage cheese but I forgot to take it out of the fridge and in my world, it’s often out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes. 

In any event, it was gooey, warm comfort food for supper on a yucky day. Tomorrow, most of it will be packaged for the freezer for future fast meals and cruddy days. 

random thoughts – Day 2,377 (Saturday) – goats, kinetic sculptures, kitties

Goats ready for head rubs.

After a couple years of missing it due to scheduling conflicts including dance troupe performance commitments, today my friends and I went to the Lowell Kinetic Sculpture Race. It was a beautiful day to be outside watching people powered machines race on cobblestones, in a mud pit, and in the Merrimack River. 

On the way to Lowell, we passed an arts and crafts fair on the common in Townsend and stopped to check out the booths and especially the goats, because, well, goats! The goats were eager to receive head rubs and kind words and we were happy to deliver. As we got back into the car we noticed there was also a pen with pigs and sheep.

Godzilla exits the mud course.

In the race area, we caught part of the procession down "Boneshaker Alley" on the rough and rugged cobblestones. Then, as we walked from the cobblestone area to the mud pit zone, we encountered some of the machines that ran into various troubles with snapped chains that hindered their progress on the paved asphalt streets of Lowell. 

Individuals and teams with racers of all ages (usually in costumes) pedaled the rigs on land and mud and added oars and rudders in the water segment. Some of the teams were STEM programs from regional schools and the kinetic race feels like the best group project ever.

The mud pit had several sections of bleachers on each side of the mud section, added since our last time attending. It's fun seeing the event grow.

Sculptures included a fire truck, Laika the Russian Space Dog (1957), a lobster, a snail, a big black dog, Godzilla, Bender the robot from Futurama, and other things I can’t recall. Spectators cheered and enthusiastically encouraged each rig.

Big Dog powers through the water.

The mood was festive at all three locations. At the river, food trucks selling Thai, sausages, sweet treats, and other foods were on site, but we opted to dash across the street to Heritage Ice Cream for sandwiches and fries and enjoyed the shade, A/C, and restrooms before settling in under the sun on the river wall for the water action.

After the race segments, we checked out LaLa Books on Market Street and then the Lazy Cat Lounge on Merrimack Street which has cat themed artworks and products, coffees and teas, and a room dedicated to interacting with cats. Two tuxedo cats napped in beds in a window.

Kitty plotting an escape?

A beautiful creamy white and tan cat was in the shop when we arrived, but was soon moved into the cat room when the shop got busy. The kitty wistfully peered through the window into the shop, looking like it was plotting an escape.

A group of young adults had a reservation for a birthday party in the cat room which features the Lounge’s “house cats” and cats available for adoption. It seemed like the best birthday party setting ever, and I wished there was such a place in Gardner. My friends said I should open one. Hmmmm.

random thoughts – Day 2,376 (Friday) – farmers' market

Westminster Farmers' Market.

I woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday. I was about to call Mom to see what she was up to, but then I remembered it’s Friday and she usually has plans on Friday. And then I forgot the day again. This went back and forth until mid-morning and I was finally fully caffeinated and had the day straight and was able to proceed.

Since May when I learned of it, I have intended (in general) to attend the Westminster Farmers’ Market. It’s held on Fridays from 3:00 to 6:00 and features a musical act along with the produce sellers and other vendors. Many weeks I forgot, and in some of those cases, when I remembered, it was too close to the closing time to bother. Some weeks I reconsidered because I didn’t like the weather. Some weeks I was just too lazy.

This afternoon, still cognizant it was Friday, at 3:15 I remembered about the Farmers’ Market. I sprang to action, meaning I put on shoes, grabbed the keys and phone, and left the house. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor market – sunny and warm, but not too hot.

The market is on the town common which is large and sprawling. Tents shaded vendors selling local fruit wines and mead, art work, baked goods, local honey, granola, cut flowers, vegetables, knife sets, alpaca socks and gloves with alpacas for petting and feeding, and an ice cream truck. Regional band Chuck and Mud played on the gazebo. A cornhole game had some well behaved children tossing bean bags towards the boards painted with an ear of corn.

Across from the Farmers' Market.

Across the street from the common a stone wall ran along the edge of a yard, and between the giant pine trees sat a swing and a view of nearby Mount Wachusett. It was the perfect New England setting for a Hallmark Movie. If I lived in the fantasy of rom-coms, I might have expected to meet a handsome local as we both reached for the same ear of corn, pair of socks, or loaf of bread, but I don’t live there (most of the time) and that did not happen. Despite the absence of a movie worthy cute-meet, it was still a lovely event. It runs for another three weeks, so maybe next week.