Marshmallows, Mermaids and Moonlight

 

{When your cappuccino matches your mug....}

 

I took a quick trip up to the lake over the holiday weekend to sort a few things and soak in a few last rays of the summer sun.

The weather was distractingly amazing.

{Heron on the sandbar} 

Unfortunately, I know I cannot store enough of that energy for the winter ahead.

We have already had frost and there are frost warnings in effect for tonight again.

Back home, I am trying to "sort a few things" as well, but with little-to-no success.  

Many of you, I know, are "sorting" in your own ways - downsizing, purging, minimalizing - as I well should be.

The "need" becomes more apparent with each day that passes, and, at times, the motivation increases as well, but I'm not quite there yet.

If you hadn't figured it out by now, things come slowly to me.

And, most often, I do what I should not do and put myself more than a few steps back.

I have too many collections and I have mostly done well at not adding to them. But every now and again I give in to a weakness.

I can't tell you when I last added to my marshmallow tin collection - other than last week when I added this one.

Nope...I don't like marshmallows particularly - but I do love these old funky tins.

This one will likely end up in the back row - once I wrangle the ladder inside.

(You're right - one probably won't see it back there - but I'm about the only "one" who even knows there's a collection of marshmallow tins up there.)

But back to sorting!

For me that involves tying up loose ends and taking care of things that have lingered about too long.

Like my mermaids. 

I stitched these many years ago - when we first purchased the lake house I believe. (There's not a reason I can conceive of why I would choose to stitch mermaids if I did not have a home near water. And, no - that was NOT the reason we purchased the lake house.)

Anyway - they are finally framed.

First up - The Mermaid of Salem Bay (pattern by The Primitive Hare).

This is stitched on 30 ct "Pirate Linen" also by The Primitive Hare (2 over 2 with a gazillion quarter/half/three-quarter stitches and backstitching and beading). 

I had a meltdown when I ran out of the overdyed floss called "Mountain Mist" and could find none remotely close to what I had started her with as the dye lots had changed dramatically.

Marly (Samplers and Santas) came through with many skeins of not only Mountain Mist, but other colors she thought would work.

She was right.

Marly is always right when it comes to color.

I'm not typically a bead person, but the beads made this design.

And what's better than 1 mermaid?

Two, of course.

This is, obviously, another Primitive Hare design.

This one is called Oceanarium and is stitched two over two on 30 ct. "Ancient Stones" linen, also by The Primitive Hare.

Again, lots of quirky stitches, backstitching and beading.

I should have done a video so you could see how the beads twinkle - but I didn't.

If these make it to being hung on a wall, it will be at the lake house.

They don't quite "fit" here in Nod.

And, lastly, moonlight.

Last night was a full "blood" moon - and a total lunar eclipse no less.

While the eclipse wasn't visible to us here in the states, the moon still put on a spectacular show.

 

...and now back to sorting.

😒

A Rainy Day in Nod

 A positively gloomy, dreary, kind of rainy day in Nod.

And cold.

(Have I mentioned Nod is COLD?!)

There is nothing I have to do that I want to do so

I am procrastinating...

...and looking out windows with Rajah Roo.

In furtherance of my procrastination, I decided I would try to make myself feel less guilty by posting some things I have finally finished.

It's been a while...in many ways and for many reasons - some I stitched so long ago, I would not choose to stitch them now....that's long.

With one exception, I believe these all have been posted previously, but they were not "finally/fully" finished.

{"Winter Woods"...a design by Chessie & Me}

{"Witch Miltida"...a design by Joyce Reed...stitched eons ago...not 1887, but close.}

{"Nantucket Whaling Co."...a design by The Primitive Hare}

{"With Liberty and Justice for All"...a (free) design by Primitive Betty's...again, stitched long, long, time ago, but just fully finished}

I also finally finished hooking "Welcome Cats."

This was almost worse than giving birth, but the "reward" at the end not even close.  I do not wish to bore everyone with the saga of this rug again but, since it is not likely to ever be bound and fully finished, I will tell a brief summary and, hopefully, be done with it. (Hence, why it counts as a "finish.")

This rug is based on an antique rug and I had wanted to hook it from the very first time I saw it.

{Photo of a photo of the original antique}

  I finally located the pattern online and the nightmare journey began.

This was 10+ years ago if not more.... I was still working and had little time to hook...and I am a SLOOOW hooker.

Then WWR ("When We Remodeled") started and the rug was packed away...far, far, away.

I pulled it out years later, after the dust of WWR (somewhat) settled and was completely at a loss as to where to begin again.  It had been put away hurriedly (part of the legacy of WWR) and I had not marked which wool was intended for what.

So, it was, again, exiled to a dark, dark, place.

I finally pulled it out again this past year and was determined to finish it, but even more problems surfaced.

I had wanted to do a somewhat faithful reproduction to the original (because that was what I fell in love with) although I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a purist like Saundra (Woodland Junction is. As I started the second cat, however, I realized the pattern I purchased was far from true to the original. (I'll spare you pointing out the details.)

And, even more troubling, my hooking technique had changed considerably since I started it (and not for the better) so it began to look like two different people had hooked it.

With much muttering, I muddled through and finally finished the hooking....only to realize that, while the color plan probably is closer to the original than any reproductions I had seen, I actually now prefer the warmer, richer, colors of the reproductions of which I had seen so many.

So, I am sorely disappointed...in my inability to pick up on the pattern "issues" sooner, my color choices and, more importantly, my hooking.

About the only things I do like about it are the left cat's "snaggletooth"...

...and the "ghost ball" between the two cats (which is barely visible on the photo I had of the antique and completely MIA from the pattern I purchased, and which I rehooked thrice):

In any event, hopefully, that's the last you'll see or hear of it.

*******

I realize this post is insufferably long already, but I am running far behind on my book "reports" (or have I spent to much time reading?? Don't answer that.)

Anyway, this is another thing I am "finished" with:

It is another historical fiction based on actual events during WWII and if you follow that history at all, you have likely read or seen a version of the story: A woman becomes pregnant while incarcerated in Auschwitz. 

It was ok...I didn't necessarily dislike it and it kept my attention, but I'm finished with this genre for a while.  I think I am more than satiated with the time period and subject matter at this particular point in time.  After a while, the story lines begin to blur and I'm just finished.

*******

Finally, but not leastly, tomorrow is the 21st anniversary of the day our country lost what was left of its innocence.

We will never forget.

PS... To my blog pals from the UK and the realms: My deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved Queen.  What a remarkable woman she was.

Salem and Santa

I'm back....

Hard-drive has been replaced (again), power supply has been replaced (again), and my fingers are crossed (again).

I actually have very little to say, but before I roll it up, I thought I'd share a long-suffering (and I do mean suffering) stitching project that I finally finished up.

I started this at the end of December, last year, and worked on it sporadically.  You may (or may not) recall that this is the one that gave my OCD fits with all the inconsistencies in the chart (spacing, alignment, inaccurate listing of names, the seemingly endless ways the same letter was charted, etc., etc.) 

And then I ran out of Carriage Black floss.

Apparently I was not the only one as it was literally months before I managed to get some more.

But, the stitching is finally done.

The design is cleverly entitled "Witches of Salem" and is by The Primitive Hare. 

{Stitched 1 over 2 on 40ct "Old Massachusetts" linen}

The photo is not the clearest, but the names of Mary Eastey and Rebecca Nurse are done in a darker floss than the other names to reflect my family connection.

****

And now I have moved on....

It was a difficult decision to put down my needle and take up my hook, but they tell me change is good.

As you can tell by the creases in the linen, this has been packed away for a while.  It is a design by Therese Shick called "Simple Santa."

(What's with these clever names??? 😶)

Compared to other hookers, my works-in-progress always look messy for one simple reason: they are.

It's just the way I do things... I never know when I will need to make some adjustments so I leave messy tails until they drive me nuts.

Santa's coat, in particular, is going to need some serious tweaking in this case.

****

I have also eased out of the historical fiction genre in books for a wee bit. While I tend to like reading "in season," there isn't much out there I care to read Christmas-wise...and I certainly am not inclined to read about winter, so anything's really game. 

This was a quick book fix from Menard's of all places and I am not far enough along to give a credible review but, so far, it is keeping my attention more than well and the writing is good.  It is a psychological thriller ala Alfred Hitchcock me thinks. (Sorry if this sounds ignorant as I know there is a sticker indicating it is a Netflix film...but I don't have Netflix here in Nod and live under a rock for the most part.  If you've seen it, please don't tell me how it ends.)

****

I cannot hit publish without acknowledging the horrendous tragedy that happened in Waukesha.  I had plans to go there this past week, but had to cancel.

My heart breaks for those injured, the families of those who lost loved ones or whose family members are injured, for all those who witnessed this senseless carnage and the entire community who will never again be able to experience a holiday parade without sorrow.

 

Hats Off to Uncle Sam...Yeah, I'm Late Like That....

I apologize for being so very long gone.  I do have a very good reason.  Trust me.  And not because I am a lawyer.  Life has just veered off course again...but this one I somewhat saw coming. I just did not want to acknowledge it in the ways I needed to.

Anywhat.

I am, as you have, by now, figured out, "back."  I had submitted my issue about my "disappeared" reading list to Blogger/Google Help...and, after several days weeks, they actually responded and informed me they had resolved the problem.  A rare, but so much appreciated, "Woo Hoo" moment. The "Whoops" problem, however, still persists.  My request to make the error message less irritable apparently, too, was ignored.

I have done little and accomplished even less recently that would hold your attention most likely.  I did finish up a Blackbird Design design I had been wanting to do for some time.  Now, well, like many other things these days, I am not sure why.  

{"Hats Off to Uncle Sam" by Blackbird Designs}

I also finished up (stitching anyways) "Oceanarium," a design by The Primitive Hare.

Kind of cheesy sayings I know, but I stitched it as a companion piece to "The Mermaid of Salem Bay," also by The Primitive Hare.  

I'm over my mermaid "thing" now.  Really. Truly.

The Buttercup (Ranunculus) has spent its beauty...

And the Bittersweet is coming into its colors:

Short-lived, however, as a hard freeze is expected by the end of the week.

I will leave you with a photo of my beloved moon.  I missed the "full" harvest moon as it was raining buckets here, but this was last night, so close enough....

Even when you can't see her, she is magical.

Icebox Hotdish

Sometimes, when growing up, we would have "icebox hotdish" for dinner.  My mother would go to the icebox and pull out whatever leftovers and bits in there and combine it into a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-replicated, casserole.  (We called them "hotdishes"..."casserole" was a bit too formal a term.)  

And since I have nothing of substance to chat about, that's what you're getting in this post: Just a bunch of "this"-es and "that"s.

About the most exciting thing going on (and this says a whole lot about my uneventful life) is that my wisteria is finally blooming.  I love my cornzebo for many reasons, but one of the primary ones is that it serves as a support for two of my favorite plants - bittersweet and wisteria.

There is much to be said for cherry blossoms, but they seem so flighty.  They are so quick to run off and leave you.  And then just when your regrets are the strongest the wisteria comes into bloom....

{Murasaki Shikibu)

I know in more temperate climates vegetation like wisteria sometimes does not know its place and can overtake entire structures.  But I live in Nod and nothing is invasive here other than the snow and relentless cold.

(Something tells me I just may regret saying that at some point.)

We had some storms come through a little more than a week ago that brought damaging winds (I heard, through the grapevine, that we lost several trees at the lake) and heavy, heavy, rains.

This little hummingbird was marooned on my wanna-be porch during a particularly heavy downpour.

I don't know what I was thinking when this happened, but I DO DEFINITELY know I WILL regret it:

This beautiful butterfly comes to visit every sunny afternoon...I love the blue on his wings.

I have found more time than motivation to stitch some.  I finally finished (re)stitching Centennial Eagles (a design by Tina Woltman), but I am undecided about whether to finish it as a pillow (it is rather large actually) or frame it...or just file it.

(Sorry for the wonkiness...it has not yet been pressed and was simply roughly folded.)

I also finished stitching this little piece - It is part of the "Sea Ornaments" pattern by The Primitive Hare.

(Again, apologies for my lack of ambition in pressing it before taking the photo.)

Of course I did not notice the misspelling of "whaling" until I had stitched the first three letters, so had to frog them all to adjust the stitch count.

I am somewhat wishing I had stitched this one over one but too late for regrets...the wisteria is in bloom.

There is still nothing on the rug hooking frame.  Sorry MD.

Well, I am thinking you've had about enough fun with me for a Saturday night and enough icebox hotdish for almost any night (my mum had an incredible gift for making anything taste good...but you really never knew what was in there and I was always the wary skeptic).

Our weather is supposed to turn, with rain tomorrow and then highs in the 50's for the beginning of the week.  I think it's time for a baking day anyways.  Good thing I have long johns right next to my tank tops.

A Special Kind of Torture

This may come as a complete surprise to some of you, but I suffer a wee bit from OCD. Mind you, it only manifests itself in the most useless of ways....not, for example, when it comes to housekeeping, promptness, social correctness, etc. but in totally annoying and counterproductive ways: I may have a counter full of "projects" and what-not, but the spices in my cupboard are arranged alphabetically. And, well, I expect an equal degree of "perfectionism" when I stitch...including the chart design.  And that is how it came to be that I am in fits of frustration with my newest project.

It started with the "R"....

Three stitches on the bottom left here....

....but only two stitches on the bottom left here.

Ok...easy enough to "fix," and certainly a more-than-forgivable error.

But then came the g's....

Version 1 vs. Version 2:

But wait for it....yes, there's a third version too:

Letter "u" was also graced with three different versions (and two versions in the very same name!):

And then there's the letter "A":

Since these "A"s begin the names, one can't as easily just add or subtract from them without affecting the left margin of the piece....

Oh...and speaking of that left margin:

"George" and "Rebecca" are in one space from "Ann," "Margaret," and "Alice"

(so, I guess who cares if I added "feet" to Alice's "A" 😕) ... and "George Burroughs' name is the longest of all the names so, if anything, it should be not be indented.

And speaking of George's long name, why are there 4 spaces between his first and last name (especially since his last name almost touches the leaves next to it), but only two between Rebecca's first and last name?

 And why do others have 3? And one even has 5???

And why do these two "stalks" (or whatever they are) not line up??

Then there is this wonky space where it shouldn't be....

Not a big deal in and of itself, but it throws off the reference points/spacing of things all around it since it doesn't go across the entire chart.

And dear Ann Foster....

This piece is meant as a memorial to those hanged as witches in Salem in 1692.  Giles Cory was pressed to death, not hanged, but he is always included with the group since he was killed for being a witch during the hysteria.

But Ann??? Nope....she was neither hanged nor pressed.  Yes, she was accused of witchcraft and jailed for it...but she died in jail (as many did).  (Many accused witches remained in jail long after the witch hysteria ended and the hangings stopped because their families could not pay the fees charged by the jail for their keep.)  

But MIA is Martha Carrier....who was, indeed, hanged as a witch....on August 19, 1692...the same day as the two Georges and the two Johns were hanged.  She was the only woman hanged that particular day and now she has been edged out her rightful place in history.

Are you still with me here??

No, I haven't burned my work at the stake...but I have resigned myself to the fact that there are just too many inconsistencies to remedy.  I have ripped poor George's name out more times than he has been disinterred and reinterred.

I have made uniform the "R's" and the "A's," the "g's" and some of the "u's" (but not all).  I have lined things up on the left margin, but have not made consistent the spacing between names since I had already stitched a great deal of the stalks to the right before this bugged the crap out of me I noticed this. 

Most importantly, I have given Martha Carrier her rightful place on the list. (Sorry Ann.)

And I bet you thought when I said "special kind of torture" I was referring to the hangings...,