Tyson’s third birthday….what a splash!
Water, Look below the surface
5 Nov
Look below the surface
Look below the surface.
Ask questions.
Think.
Make connections.
Relax.
Street, Plan B
4 NovRain has deterred me from shooting a “street” photo for today’s assignment. From my album:
Nina Road
Yesterday’s post “Home” is still a draft status on my phone. 😦
Nailed, screwed
26 Oct
Two shelves enough? No.
Nailing, Screwing: Methods for mechanically joining similar or dissimilar materials.
Reminiscent of childhood days playing at Hall Lumber Company in Saw Mill Holler, East Tennessee….I have sorted and organized hardware this week. Specifically, sorting many varieties of nails and screws discarded over decades from carpentry, drywall, masonry, roofing, fencing and flooring projects.
Larger scope
Miscellaneous times three
The design options and variables are staggering.
- length
- diameter
- size and features of the head
- material
- finish
- coarse or fine thread screws
Observations from various groups
- Rule that three or more types of nails from a project will be mixed 😦
- Original cardboard boxes are bad news for long-term storage
- Designs of nails and screws have improved (some material is functional, but obsolete)
Lead head for tin roofs, Color coördinated for new steel roofs
For asphalt shingles. New ones have plastic “washers”
- One type of hardware remains a mystery
What is this?
Mystery
Global Sew-a-Thon 2014
11 OctDays for Girls International celebrates October 11th, International Day of the Girl as designated by the United Nations by sewing, raising awareness and funds, and assembling kits to be distributed across the globe. This is DfGI’s 2nd annual Global Sew-a-Thon.
90% content of 22 kits shipped in April for final assembly. In the spirit of stitched service, Elfcroft is working on our second shipment. I have 23 kits in progress for shipment this moment. Here is a peak at the effort…
DfGI bags
Some assembly required for the liners (PUL and pockets)
Eight flannel tri-fold pads per kit
Prepared for sewing flannel pads
It is time to SEW! 26 liners to GO!
UPDATE: Second shipment with 90% of 23 kits is READY.
46 liners to include in 23 kits
Love to girls in every country on earth. Elfcroft
What did we do before we had toothbrushes?
4 OctSometimes we get an answer before we have the question. That is what happened when I reviewed Backyard Medicine, Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal. On page 123, they share that oak twigs are nature’s tooth-brush due to natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. They encourage picking a small twig, chewing the end to massage gums as well as clean your teeth.
This week I trimmed low branches of my oak trees and these fun facts came to mind.
Tooth brush anyone?
Imagine…before we had our billion dollar toothbrush industry we had oak twigs. I suppose that also explains the wooden picks that predate today’s flossing options.
Historical perspective:
How the rest of the world brushes their teeth | MNN – Mother Nature Network
http://m.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/how-the-rest-of-the-world-brushes-their-teeth
1498 – “The bristle toothbrush was invented in China. Coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog’s neck were used for the bristles, attached at right angles to a bone or bamboo handle (similar to the modern type). The best bristles came from hogs raised in the colder climates of China and Siberia, where the animals grew stouter and firmer hair. Since 3000 BC, ancient civilizations had been cleaning teeth with a “chew-stick” by using a thin twig with a frayed end.”
Have you tried this?
The twigs are the solution to minimize environmental impact, but not likely for superior dental health.
Memories of my grandfather
26 SepElizabeth’s Reflections on the Way Pap-pa’s Life Used to Be
Appalachia, Blue Ridge Mountains
Tennessee, Hawkins County
Saw Mill Holler, 317 Independence Avenue
the house, the saw mill shed, the Hall Lumber Co. office, the workshop
hen-house, tobacco barn and railroad tracks
front porch swing
Overalls with a pocket watch
Pocket knife for whittling nothing in particular
Tough, strong, independent
Republican
Logger, saw mill operation
Skilled craftsman
Built bridges in early years
Built trusses in middle years
Built furniture in later years
Wormy chestnut, antique wood finished with antique labor
Simple, frugal
Black Ford pick up truck 1947-1980
“Read a book Pap-pa.”
Play house with real windows and asphalt shingles
Cedar chest and grandfather clock
Brown mule ice cream in the freezer
Lumber scraps to nail together to float in the creek
Good tobacco crops meant $100 bills at Christmas
Fishing trips to Steam Plant Lake
Attentive care to my aging grandmother
Walking cane and hearing aid
Appreciation for pretty bank tellers, grocery clerks and nurses
Passion for life
Red and white tent for 90th and 91st birthday celebrations
Primary principle of life: Work ethic
He explained that he did not have a regular job at 94 years of age
in a nursing home bed.
Kissed my hand to say good-bye.
I love you.
Grady Murrel Hall died 20 years ago today.
June 8, 1900-September 26, 1994
Keepers
25 Sep
Keepers
This time last week my car was loaded with items for our church rummage sale. Since I am not a garage sale fan, this was a blessing and an opportunity to dispose of household items, raise money for charity and get better acquainted with my fellow church members.
Mickey and the ducks stayed home. My personal (and spouse’s) rule excluded clothing, books and everything in the garage. Donations included some Christmas decor, floral containers, odd dishes, a small box of wooden musical instruments, collections of decorative tins and toothpick holders, decorative accessories, etc.
It was a beautiful day. Great crowd. Fairly good sales considering it was a one day event. What I know now is that it that an extra day is required to handle the unsold items. Donations came from 20 different households and the remaining items probably went 5 different directions. Great life lesson.
Encore! Photo Service
21 Sep
Eagle Creek watershed
Douglas Lake, Japanese maple, Mission Beach
Hot air balloon, Peony, Asiatic lillies
The first time I put my photography up for sale was four years ago in a Silent Auction fund-raiser for Aspiration Awards for young women pursuing degrees in technology, math and science. Now we are getting ready for a fourth auction and again my contribution are ten 8″ X 10″ matted prints.
Most of my images for 2010 were taken at McCormick Place in Chicago. Since the 2011 auction was held at a holiday networking event, I choose mostly floral images. 2012 my choice images are from London and Hawaii.
Originally, I used Kodakgallery.com followed by MPix.com. The paper was not as heavy, but the same metallic glossy finish. The prints are very good quality. This year I used shutterfly.com for expediency. The metallic glossy finish was not an option. However, I am pleased with the results. To keep my costs down, I procured mats from GoldenStateArt.com. Excellent source. They even include a sealable plastic wrap/envelope for each mat.
Silent Auction Contribution 2012
Everything sold in the last three auctions. ENCORE!
Cut two pieces: a recycling solution
6 AugThe opportunity to use remnant fabric from my Helping Hands, Touching Hearts projects to make kits for Days for Girls International set things in motion. Alas, one thing leads to another. Indeed, I reclaimed significant fabric for my latest project. However, the pads for the DfGI kits are made from flannel and the four corners are removed for ease of use. The math is (45) kits X (8) pads X (2) sides X (4) corners = 2880 remnants that filled a couple of shopping bags.
Remnant trimmed
Please feel free to make other suggestions. I reclaimed about a third of the small triangular pieces by cutting 1/4 inch strip from the hypotenuse for us in a latch hook project. This was new territory for me. I had never latch hooked.
Kitchen stool, short on comfort
I assure you this stool is not comfortable for sewing machine work. My idea was to make a small rug or seat cushion. Appearance does not matter when you are sitting on it 😉
2880 times I trimmed the hypotenuse of the flannel triangles of 16 different colors and patterns of remnants.
The stash
Testing….
Testing
The finished product…
Much better
Zoom…
Zoom
Backside…
Random
One example of what happens when your conscience keeps you from hastily throwing scraps away. My grandmothers and great grandmothers would be proud.
elfcroft 