Daily Notes- September 20

The bobbin case (internal) in the Bernina is...well, not working correctly.  I need to be very calm and methodical when doing the work in the machine.  By feel not sight. And it takes much TIME. The inside bobbin parts are really very difficult to get back in correctly.

I'm leaving it.

The dialogue from yesterday has been enlightening.  Grace has opened me up to what is really on my mind.  A lack of trust in other people.  My childhood was not trustworthy.  I was always getting myself prepared for the next eruption of angry words, shouts, breaking of things, getting hit.  The root of it all.  I learned not to trust the people who said they loved me.  And I have carried it for 73 years.

Wow.  There it is.

I cried my way thru the last part of Where the Crawdads Sing.  What a beautiful book.  It will be an amazing movie if they get it right and I hope they do.  G and I had birthday cake.  Was delicious. No candles. I read and he watched the Hitman's Bodyguard.

Down into the high 30's last night.  Summer comes late and leaves early here in Maine.  Time to get out the corduroy pants and sweaters and put away the summer cropped pants and cotton shirts. Time to do the heavy lifting in the garden.  Empty the Grow Boxes. Sift the roots from the soil in the boxes. Get ready for the leaves to turn and fall.  The very tips and edges of the Maple trees have started to turn but 99% of the leaves are still green.  I think last night's cold will change that quickly.

Too cold for eating the ripe tomatoes.  Which is very sad indeed.

It's Time for me to get out the big aluminum kettle and my cloth and do some eco printing.  I have read that peach tree leaves print well.  My daughter will try to collect the larger deeper colored Purple Smoke bush leaves which printed very nicely last Fall.  My smoke bush has small leaves with little pigment.  My plumber has left a pile of copper pipe for me.  My jar of iron water waits.  And perhaps some black walnuts will come my way.  G has collected sumac for me.

I usually do my alchemy in the evenings.  After dark.  The kitchen is quiet and the man and dog are  sleeping in front of the tv.  This year I will leave the steamed cloth overnight and wash it out in the morning.  See if that makes a difference.  But today I will wash cloth and soak it in soy milk.  I have not used soy as a mordant yet.  This will be the first time.  Not the months or even years of soaking the Japanese do.  I have no indigo.  But have seen that avocado pits do well with soy.  I have a bag full in the freezer --gifts saved for me by my walking friend.  I hope to get good "wrinkles" this time.

It is possible that I will make a small fire outside and settle my Goodwill cast iron kettle into the coals and place some cloth into the kettle and cover with the lid.  Let it cook.

It is also possible I will cut watercolor paper into strips to fit the iron stained blackened tin cans  I have.  Roll the paper and plant material around the cans. Tie tightly with string.  Steam.  Then when the paper is dry again, use a fine black ink to draw on the printed surfaces.  I have seen it done on the internet.  I want to try it.

Thank you to all who have commented here and sent private email.  I cherish your friendship and kindness.