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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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?
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.
1. Ancient human footprints in White Sands National Park in New Mexico are about 23,000 (!) years old. From the NY Times article:
One path was made by someone walking in a straight line for a mile and a half. Another shows a mother setting her baby down on the ground. Other tracks were made by children.
…Mammoths, dire wolves, camels and other animals left footprints as well. One set of prints showed a giant sloth avoiding a group of people, demonstrating that they were in close company.
2. A point and click mystery game with strong 90s vibes (remember “Where In the World Is Carmen San Diego”?): Party is Such Sweet Sorrow.
3. I love this video:
Enchant some friends this weekend. Honk!
I haven’t had Twitter on my phone for years but I’ll go there on my desktop when I’m procrastinating. It’s usually an angry cesspool but I’ve been trying to follow more accounts that just post nice things, like these:
this is how I’m planning to ride out the winter pic.twitter.com/wcJdqhxiOz
— Owl! at the Library 😴🧙♀️ (@SketchesbyBoze) September 27, 2021
‘I will do it tomorrow,’ said Toad. ‘Today I will take life easy.’
— Frog and Toad (@FrogandToadbot) September 30, 2021
The ONLY driving license I want is the kind that lets me drive these. pic.twitter.com/EcxvHPVeZz
— Icona 📚 (@Iconawrites) September 27, 2021
