Coffee Talk
I had to take some time off from The Blog last week … I’ve been pretty busy with stuff that doesn’t go here - either it’s not ready for posting or it’s totally irrelevant. Mostly, I’ve been in a weird mood and didn’t feel much like talking.
But what the heck. Might as well talk about it, right? While I ramble, these pictures are from a stack of old crafting stuff my mom brought me, and from today’s ramble. Meanwhile listening to some old music. In a Gadda Da Vida, baby. Jeez that song is long.
My mom brought me a bunch of supplies from her days crafting this weekend. Look at the seventies colors! Acrylic yarn has improved a lot in 30 years.
Remember that post where I said I’ve lived a lot of places? That happens because I get restless and twitchy if I don’t switch things up in my life. I’m not very good at things staying the same. When I was younger I would make major life changes every six months. These days I’ve lengthened the time period, but I still get very restless. I’m trying to figure out what to do about it this time. I’d really like to not up and move to Maine or somewhere without warning, maybe even stay in this apartment more than a year.
An old receipt. Anyone remember this store besides me?
It’s not something that I tell people often - it makes coworkers and family nervous. Jeff thought it might mean I’d like to leave him for a while. It’s not easy to explain, either - stability is something that’s highly rewarded in this western culture of ours. Gypsy or migratory behavior is not prized. Most people refer to my behavior as “crazy” or roll their eyes or laugh. But I just can’t seem to want to stay still …
The pin in the receipt had to be snapped into 3 pieces to remove. Metal snapping like paste! It was that corroded. But then, it’s over 30 years old.
Besides the restlessness, I’ve been a bit on edge. Some awful crap a friend is going through resembles some kind of awful crap I went through, and it brings back memories I’d rather die a swift death. It’s so silly - it’s not as though it’s happening to me, but it’s still giving me nightmares (yeah, bad memories). Besides, I feel bad for him - it’s one of those things where you can practically see the unhappiness even while they try to be stoic.
Crewel embroidery pattern & leftover yarn. This once hung in the house. I like it, I might make one myself. Maybe a slightly less olive green background …
My co-worker Abby dropped by my blog not long ago. She figured I would “know” by my stats that she had visited, but no, I’m not that into my stats, and I’m not sure how I’d know her IP address anyway. I find that occasionally people think my technical skills are more magical than they truly are. I am a wizard! So how does Abby resolve said problem, and tell me she stopped by? Comments! I knew they were there for some reason! (Hi Abby! Um, no I’m not quitting.)
Love pillow, which uses altogether too much magenta for the heart, IMHO. Another project I remember in the house.
My mom stayed with me this weekend. I’m a crazy mix of my mom and dad and as a result I’m the most left-brained right-brain person I know. One thing I get from my mom - activism. My mother is currently running for VP of the Texas State Teacher’s Association. She’s already president of her local and regional chapters. She spends a lot of her time advocating on behalf of teachers in her district. Gee, now how did I ever end up wanting to do things for others?
Obligatory kitten picture, this time chewing on things. Do you remember God’s eyes? I had to make them in church camp. This was a large one my mom was making 30 years ago. Clearly, the craft did not appeal to her, eh?
Austin is a singular place, appealing and irritating simultaneously. I had a waiter with a mohawk this morning at a lovely local watering hole that often sells me local beer. I saw multiple odd bike-cars, like a two-seater. The weather was a balmy 80 degrees today, so it was a great day for opening up the house and eating brunch on a cliff-top patio (I did both). I also visited one of our dozens of coffeeshops this afternoon. It was that last that killed me.
Sometimes, when you live in a place people think is “cool” like Austin, the hipsters that appear are … well, you can practically smell the trendiness. And condescension. And you can certainly hear their overly-loud, I’m-too-sexy-for-this-shirt conversations. I guess I’m just getting too old. Or at least, the one girl that I happen to know from college used to tell me I looked old in class, which was kind, no? I left in irritation after 20 minutes of non-stop jabbering.
So that’s been my week. All in one lump. With pictures! Here’s to another week, perhaps this one with a little less internal drama, please?
Mabel and The Cat in the Hat
Many people live near their extended relatives while growing up. I was not one of those people. I lived near none of my extended family and traveled to see them about twice a year. What I did have was a next–door neighbor named Mabel Mattingly, who was a pretty darn crafty lady. She was in many ways my stand-in grandmother and gave me a deep appreciation for things done by hand.
Mabel made me my first quilt, which I will show you all sometime. Should I have children, that quilt and its matching pillow is my daughter’s. Mabel also made awesome apple turnovers, the like of which I’ve never had again. She provided our house with various jellies and jams for all the years I was growing up in that house. She used to go to Louisiana to visit her family and pick mayhaws and come back and make ‘em into jelly. Mmmmm. She also had a big garden and taught me how to garden as well. I had a postage-sized plot out back that gave me great joy. She canned a lot of vegetables- she is the reason I adore pickled okra today.
One of the major things that Mabel did was make ceramics. She was not a wheel potter, she was a ceramicist; she used molds. She had hundreds of molds on shelves in the garage, all tied up or wrapped with giant rubber bands. She had a big, deep kiln by the door to the kitchen, so deep that my small self couldn’t reach the bottom. She made me various things over the years, and I have 2 of them - a little turtle to put plants in, and a black witch hat. I also have a very pathetic vase she made with me - it’s the paint job that’s mostly pathetic. Mabel was an excellent painter - her colors were even and her finishes glossy. My witch hat isn’t very complicated, but some of the paint jobs she did were really intricate.
Hope you enjoy the little show that my kitten Callie put on with the hat that Mabel made me. Although I don’t know what happened to Mabel after she moved away, I always feel big warm fuzzies for her whenever I get out her handicrafts and remember the things she taught me to love.
Oh, no! I forgot the beer!
Haha - remember the beer I was supposed to tell you about? Well, I forgot to say how the beer turned out after it had fermented for a week.
The beer was, in fact, bad. My dad and I are going to have to make another batch! He and I figure that the beer-making-equipment needs sanitizing in a major way.
I thought it tasted like vinegar, but Jeff thought he detected a hint of ammonia. Not precisely like what we were hoping for!! Ah, well, if at first you don’t succeed, make more, right?
