Wednesday

That is, after all, what I am. Probably more so than even I realize.

Wandering because, well, that’s what crazy ADD minds do.

I no longer remember what it is like not to have music, or radio or tv talk constantly in the background. Most of the time I don’t think about it, but last night it was just creepy. Like it usually is with voices, it sounded like it was from a tv in a room down the hall, as if someone was watching a movie. Iqbal was fast asleep in our bedroom, with the door closed and the only tv in the house is in the living room where I sat and it was off. But . . . A man and a woman were having an argument. I couldn’t make out any words, just the voices and tones which said “argument.” And it was a movie style argument. Not like any real one I’ve ever heard.

That was all to my right. To my left was the men’s chorale that always makes me think of Mitch Miller. For those unfamiliar with Miller, his music is a choral male vocal version of elevator music (to me). I know for a certainty that this comes from the hum and thrum of machines–a fan and air purifier, specifically last night. It changes with the machines. And goes away when the machines turn off. It changes between vocal (usually male voices) and instrumental, but there is little variety in what the music is–bland pop (not rock) music from the ’50s and early 60s with an occasional throwback from ’30s or ’40s. Stuff my mom used to listen to late at night (which is where in my memory my brain is probably dredging it up).

I think I’ve forgotten what real ‘quiet’ is.

Thursday

My sister stopped by and we spent the rest of Wednesday afternoon sorting beads. A tiny nick in that job.

I had planned to dry a lot of pears, but apparently my dryer died. I could fit only three trays into the oven. (The dryer has about 10 trays, plus I kept the trays from the old dryer.) It took about 14 hours at 170º. They came out well, but only a cereal bowl full. Iqbal decided he’d rather have pear sauce, anyway. But, ooooh, these dried pears taste so good. So much better than gummies or even the generally tasty Pure Organic fruit bars. And nice and chewy.

After all the cooking recently, my stove looked well used, so after dinner I poured on the baking soda and scrubbed. I know I don’t have the cleanest house on the street, but whatever part I just cleaned, wherever in the house it is, it’s very clean indeed! A shiny white stovetop was it last night.

I have the itch to stitch–something new, despite the legion of started projects awaiting completion.

. . .

And I seem to be stuck there, so I guess I’ll go throw in another load of laundry and then start another new project.

5 Minutes ’til Friday

What I ended up doing, after putting in a load of laundry, was taking my beads into the kitchen, where the afternoon sun is bright, and doing more sorting. There’s no such thing as “green.” There are 25* shades of green. 15 shades of yellow, 25 shades of blue . . . and when exactly does blue become turquoise? Every color has multiple shades that start to blend into the next. That’s why I need the sunlight and can’t work more than an afternoon at a time. These are all seed beads and the next size or two up. I think (I hope) the larger beads will be easier. At least there aren’t as many of them.

(*Numbers picked randomly.)

After dinner I did stitch. It’s not exactly a new project. I had a log cabin patch sewn onto a piece of cheesecloth. I probably did it in a hurry, because it was at angles to the weave. (Or I may have had some plan, but have totally forgotten it now.) It seemed like the perfect spot to try what I was thinking.

I mentioned back here about the fabric scraps–specifically about the quarter to half inch strips. One of the things I had immediately thought to use them for was weaving. I was sitting on the couch while Iqbal watched TV. That’s not the ideal spot for doing this. I have a lapboard, but it wasn’t enough. Looking at the photo, I think, with this size strips, a piece of iron-on-tear-away stabilizer would have been the better way to go.

Dang! I almost got that dark blue strip straight! NOT!! I might just pull out the stitches and use the stabilizer to redo it. Or some tacky glue that’ll wash out. I think it’ll drive me crazy not to fix it.

My idea was to stitch the strips very securely, so that even if they eventually fray, the fringe will remain. It’s not big. The log cabin part is about six inches square. I don’t know what, if anything this will become. Whatever, it makes me happy to look at it.