Karen

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Posts by Karen Kaminski:

Friday Links

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1. Over 10,0000 UAW workers at John Deere are on strike and it makes my union-loving heart happy to see it.  I found journalist Jonah Furman on Twitter who really breaks down what the issues are–and posts stuff people on the picket lines send him, like this:

2. Enough unions are on strike that the #Striketober tag is happening–healthcare workers, coal miners, Kellogg’s employees, potentially the IATSE starting on Monday. Teen Vogue (!) explains why this feels uncommon and what you can do to support striking workers, who have no paycheck, no insurance, and no guarantees they’ll get what they demand. (Where I could find them, I linked to funds that help workers on the picket line.)

3. And on non-strike Twitter, a thread of putting googly eyes on things.

 

Thursday Poem

By in poems No Comments

It’s a dark fall day here, so this feels appropriate:

Fall Song
by Joy Harjo

It is a dark fall day.
The earth is slightly damp with rain.
I hear a jay.
The cry is blue.
I have found you in the story again.
Is there another word for ‘‘divine’’?
I need a song that will keep sky open in my mind.
If I think behind me, I might break.
If I think forward, I lose now.
Forever will be a day like this
Strung perfectly on the necklace of days.
Slightly overcast
Yellow leaves
Your jacket hanging in the hallway
Next to mine.

I Think Of This Every Year

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It’s not a rarefied poetry quote; it’s the part from Fantasia where the naked little Art Deco fairies make the leaves turn colors and the frost appear. The willow leaves! The milkweed ladies! The pond freezing over! I know it’s tinged with a lot of nostalgia, but it’s really sublime:

(This isn’t the best quality but you’d better watch it before The Mouse takes it down.)

Tuesday Project Roundup: New Couch, New Pillows

By in decorating, sewing, Tuesday Project Roundup No Comments

I’ve made my own pillow covers before, but I always got lazy and just did an envelope back–then got annoyed when the cover didn’t ever fit snugly. This time around, I took the time to put in a zip. I even added piping! And I can’t believe I hadn’t been doing that all along. It’s not that much extra work and it looks so professional:

When I was starting to plan all of this redecorating I went to a local warehouse for decorators’ fabric and saw that serape-ish stripe. I went back the next weekend and bought it, then realized it went really well with the leftover blocks from my quilt coat. (Wow, is it a lot faster to quilt just a pillow front and back than a whole long jacket.)

My other tip for nice plump pillows, other than adding a zipper? Make them 1-2 inches smaller all around than the size of your insert. The inserts here were 18×18 but pretty squishy, so I went with a 16×16 final cover size and it worked out perfectly.

New Couch Help

By in Toby No Comments

The new couch that I wanted as part of the whole “Make hell cozy 2021” campaign came back in stock (at IKEA!) sooner than I thought, so Saturday it showed up and I thought, “Let’s put it together while Doc’s at work!”

Reader, this is why I work out. This was probably a two-person job, but I did it–with constant supervision and assistance from Toby, of course.

He did not approve of the old couch being moved.
But couch boxes are a great place for a wash.
“Mom, WTF is happening here?”
The look of wonder as he begins to realize it’s a new couch!
Very proud of the good job he did helping to put this together.

 

 

Friday Links

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1. There’s a history of telescope piracy (!) and the hed/dek here is great:

Who Would Kidnap a Space Telescope?
“We hope pirates don’t take it,” one astrophysicist said.

2. Bootstraps are a myth:

What individual wealth advice misses out on is the systemic reasons people are poor and are in debt. And as a result, so many financial services focus on what individuals can do, rather than how institutions must change. It’s easier for someone to look a poor mother in the eye and tell her to work harder than to try and help her.

3. I just this very morning learned about kayfabe and the Wikipedia article is fascinating. I won’t spoil it for you but you won’t regret clicking.

 

Things To Make Winter Better

By in stuff

There’s a chance of a hard freeze next week and it’s getting darker and darker–and I saw this long string on Twitter about how to make our second pandemic winter a little nicer:

 

Yes, the daylight simulating lamps are nice but I use them less now that 1) I’m on antidepressants and 2) I don’t work in a windowless basement. But another lamp that’s wonderful for those dark mornings is a sunrise alarm clock. I’ve had mine for years and couldn’t make it to the early gym class without it in the winter.

People in that thread mention getting outside every day, which is something I want to try to do this year. If it’s snowy or icy, microspikes to go over your boots are life-changing–you won’t have to worry about falling down, at all, not even on a sheet of ice. (I speak from actual experience on winter trails.)

Lots of people talked about making your house cozy with twinkle lights and candles and I’ve stocked up on IKEA tealights. But literally being warm and cozy also helps me deal with winter and a hot water bottle is wonderful for that. I’m late to the party but I love mine (which I found on Am*zon; however, they’re available pretty widely and I’d wish I’d seen this before I bought mine).

Anyway, thinking about how to improve winter now makes me feel a little more in control of the long slide into the dark of winter and another round of holidays without my mom. I hope there’s something in that string of replies that helps you, too.

 

(None of these are affiliate links, because that is mercenary and also beyond my bloggy skill level.)

 

Tuesday Project Roundup: Basic Gray Hoodie

By in sewing, Tuesday Project Roundup

Here’s a gray hoodie and some more fall leaves (this time, from an evening Millcreek jaunt):

This is Jalie 2795 and it was a delight to sew, despite the plain grayness of it. I’m becoming a big fan of Jalie patterns–the drafting and details just make for a really professional look.

This is essentially a collared jacket with a hood attached. That means you can pull your hood up really snug around your chin but also that it’s going to sit around your neck pretty tightly, as you can see above. I like it, but it’s not your standard hood-attached-to-the-neckline fit, where the hood hangs halfway down your back.

The hood itself is drafted in three pieces so it sits really well on your head–there’s no drawstring but it’s not going to blow off.

Fit-wise, I didn’t add any length to the sleeves and they come to my knuckles–and I have really long arms for my height. I made a straight size “V” per my measurements and didn’t have to make any alterations. (If I make it again, I might add an inch to the sleeves and make thumb holes in the cuffs).

I did end up adding a zip pocket on the sleeve. I’m not completely happy with how it turned out, but it works (and I am happy about those welts on the main pockets). Considering this fleece was so beefy that I broke two different needles topstitching the zipper, I think it all turned out OK.

So there you go–I’m surprised how much I liked sewing something so plain, and I’m already wearing this a lot. Am I going to be someone who sews…basics?  What’s next, jeans?

The Best Colors

By in nature

I think the upper canyons are at peak color right now–and a lot of the valley agreed with me, based on how many cars were on the road. But the trails themselves weren’t any busier than normal so we were able to get some Nature Rx (when we couldn’t hear the sound of traffic).

These were all from Willow Heights, our favorite short trail for fall. Or summer. Or moose-viewing.

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