Intuitive

 The other day I could not switch to the next episode of Schitt's Creek. I could not stop the action. After I assured myself no button on the Roku device was activating I said well, damn. The batteries must be dead. I wonder where they are. And fought my way into the secret recess, and found triple A. 

A methodical search of the house turned up two half packages of double A. I turned off my old TV with the separate control (so old I need two controls to watch my TV), put the Roku device in my purse, just in case those no name batteries were not triple A. 

But of course they were, and this afternoon I even gave myself a lesson in all the symbols Roku puts on my TV screen to navigate programs, episodes and so on and so forth. Almost like Blogger. Long story short, I got back to the interrupted episode and finished it.

My life has entertained some lovely moments since Roku's batteries crapped out. Every morning I've woken to rain on the window. We've had lovely temps since then, which make for a decent frame of mind. I had an errand this morning, and left to beautiful sunshine.

All the sun turned the water on the gerbera daisy into bits of glass. The sun was leaving as I drove down into the valley. It may well be my last opportunity to record the color this fall has given us, so here it is, under the growing overcast.

Another pretty picture on a corner in Peninsula:

I had one other surprise this morning. A ping to my phone, and I found this picture:

It still seems so strange she's in another county. 

1:30 on a cold and wet Sunday afternoon

 Thanks for all the tea and sympathy Friday. Dan is a sad specimen. I've put up with him for the last four years, and know his type from all these years of just knowing people. He was nicer back when he had Joe to push around, and we were happier encouraging Joe to find a new position. And life goes on.

Laura came yesterday to help me button up for winter, and to tell her good news. She came in all smiles for telling me about it. First we said good bye to the mandevilla.

Much as I wish I had a way to keep them, I don't. They made me happy this summer. That was the very best red mandevilla ever. May next year's be as lovely.

Miss Thumb's Up. I nearly added "little", and for shame. She will be twenty this year. She is a registered voter with her absentee ballot signed and sealed. She remains undecided about mailing, delivering or voting.

Her happy news, she found a studio apartment to move into. It's in the immediate neighborhood she lives in and she will feel quite comfortable living there. She showed me pictures she'd taken, and I do like it. It's an enormous room with a wall of windows facing the yard and garden of the home.

I made a mental note to find a box to put "things" into. I sent her away with some towels and a round butter dish, and I wonder which pleased her more.

Today I've divided between weaving and watching the British Bake Off. Laura and I used to watch cooking challenge shows. Laura loved them, and all I guess I can say is I believe I'm over them. I'll be surfing Netflix for something else next time.

Laura still loves cooking. She's working at Chipotle, and has a job one day a week at a Mediterranean food truck. Hard work for a good worker. I'm off for left over mac and cheese, with a side of peas, and am quite pleased.

What a beautiful day

 Last weekend had a cooking mishap at my house.  I baked my lovely squash, but in the process a baking dish exploded. What a mess.

That was only the beginning of it. There was glass in the tray underneath, and all over the squash, which was baking upside down. I cleaned off the squash and ate them this week. 

I sent the picture of the mess to the park manager, who will no longer admit people to her office. Having no answer, I sent the picture to the park super. No answer.

The park super is grumpy past description. He really is not the ideal superintendent at any time. His sidekick quit and went to another facility maintenance job we hear he really likes. So now the super takes care of three parks alone, and his temper flies wherever.

I heard nothing all week, but no matter. I can bake a potato in the microwave. By yesterday I decided I would just use an oven full of glass. My mouth was set on mac and cheese!

There was a bang, bang, bang on my door this morning. I  invited the super in, and he came with my doorbell in his hand. He yelled "Why didn't you answer the bell?" and I said probably because it needs a battery and I can't pull the case off.

Then he looked in the oven, and all hell broke loose. He boiled it down to my problem. I stood my ground. He left, went to his truck and came back with a small vacuum, not powerful enough to inhale Pyrex pieces. 

It was a long job, lots of yelling. Enough said; he finally finished and left me to clean the inside before the racks went back. When the door closed, I cried like an old fool.  In the end I had to call my neighbor to come put the racks back in because I wasn't strong enough to push them in

Cathy came and slipped the racks in, easy peasy. Like butter. Those racks have been upside down for a year and a half, always difficult to pull out to access whatever was baking.

I took a package to the post office, stopped at the dollar store and bought a teeny weeny battery for the doorbell, that now rings. The sun is shining.

The cat has yet to recover from all the yelling this morning. He is not pleased that I went outside to admire the sunshine. He might be less pleased to know there is a frost warning. Laura is coming on Sunday, to take down my plants.

And there will be mac and cheese for supper! The nice crumb topping is Laura's tip. From the toaster crumb tray.

Take a peek! Just look at that!

 Guess how many "looks" there have been at towels out at work. Oh, wait. I'll tell. Just short of 1,400. Not counting me. There are twenty five "owners" represented, and I bet each of us has not looked fifty times.

I know how many have promised pictures, but haven't got round to it yet. If you haven't changed your mind, send it along. 

The new cerise towels are finished and posted. The next set will be dusty green, a popular color from the past. Then it will be time to put a new warp on the loom. We'll see how much grumbling will be involved.

It is so easy to be distracted by nothing to do these days, especially in relation to how it upsets the real routine. I hope I explained that well enough. We all have a friend whose plate is piled high these days. In case you've meant to and haven't, drop a note to Procrastinating Donkey. Jenny_O might enjoy a fluttering of emails to let her know we remember.

These new times have left me with a string of photos I've not been able to use, so here they come now.  The first is the first of the full moons this month. The next is the blue moon. I'll try for it, too.

I took this at least one day after the "full moon", and I can see the first slice of "going to rest" in the west.

We are having a decent autumn of color here. It's kept me busy snapping.

Yesterday was completely overcast, but the colors still were nicely stacked.

I went into town to mail a package. The post office was closed. Not until I was back home did I remember. I won't mention the day. I did pass this pretty little tribute to the holiday at the end of the month.

And another one. It's a very big tree, with a gnome's door. Sorry, it's closed.

The Macramé Tree

This is how I would make a macramé tree using this picture as a guide:

Select the cord. Find cotton twine or cord from a knitting or weaving shop. Find your old box of beads and select as many as you count here, or more or less. I'd be inclined to disassemble some old jewelry and use those beads.

The coarser the twine the more realistic the look as bark, but the harder on your hands. Birch trees have lovely smooth bark, like a good cord.

Find a hoop. I estimate the twine lengths as 4 times the diameter of the hoop. 

Elmer's glue. Small binder clips or clothes pins, to hold unfastened twine ends.

Draw a sketch of your tree and branches. The number of branches are the number of twine lengths to cut. Fold each in half and set aside, with the beads. Wind from the cut ends to the fold, into a neat ball.

This hoop is wrapped over and over with the twine. Start by wrapping a whole lot of cord on a bobbin or thread card, for ease of handling.

Use a dab of Elmer's to fasten the end of the twine to the hoop. When it is dry, begin wrapping the twine around the hoop, packing it firmly as you go. Glue down the finish end. Consider this the top point. There is a hanging cord here.

Now set the branches. This tree has branches spaced around half the diameter. That makes a nice bower of branches. 

Set each branch by putting the the folded and balled twine branch around the hoop, passing the rolled ball through the half way fold and pulling snug. This tree has half its branches on each side of the hanging cord.

At this point hang the hoop somewhere sturdy, like a towel holder or curtain rod. All the floating twine branches should be accessible for ease of working. 

Slide beads on one strand of the twine, according to your sketch. Twist the cord before and after the bead to hold it in place. Roll the twine in your fingers, or pass it front to back to front to back. Follow your sketch or the picture to determine when and where to braid.

When the braided trunk reaches the bottom of the hoop, begin tying off the twine. Begin with the middle twine and work to the end.

Wrap the twine once around the hoop, once around itself, pulling the end through and snugging up. When all is to your satisfaction, put a drop of glue on each knot.

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This is how I would go about making the tree hoop. Please feel free to post this anywhere you want, add instructions or instructional drawings, but not attributed to me. Have fun.