Well. I have two days left of Summer Break. I feel like a lot happened. A lot of it was awesome and a lot of it was stressful and it’s ending on a very sad note. On Monday, Kitten turned 17. We adopted her from one of the rescue groups outside of a Petco. She had been adopted out and returned for being ‘feisty’ (yeah, that never changed really)…she was supposed to be a Christmas present for the kids (it was December), but she latched onto me and was never anybody else’s cat.
We had two cats and two dogs at the time, so it’s not like we needed more, but the other two were getting older, so? Her original name was Holly, because we had mostly been naming animals after plants (of course, the current cats were Midnight…named by girlchild…and Limbo…who was supposed to be adopted out, but I was pregnant with the boychild and well, it was a baby). But she never answered to it and it never really fit.
OMG…look, CDs! WTF. Back in the day. She was feisty, which meant she survived the dogs…you know, I think we only had Ivy at that point? I think Calli came in 2009. So just Ivy and Midnight and Limbo…so she didn’t answer to her name, but she did answer to Kitten. So she became Kitten, and eventually I had to tell the vet, because they would call about Holly and I’m like, who the fuck is that. Doing well, y’all. Even back in the day. The kids were in elementary/middle school. I had just started to teach in the valley here instead of driving 45 minutes plus into the mountains.
Already sleeping on sewing supplies, even in the early days. That never stopped.
She survived many other animals coming through here. In the last month, we basically had to move her permanently into my office (she was already living there for like the last five years, although she’d venture out, even sleep with me…best memories ever of her curling up under my armpit, however uncomfortable it was. But Bowie was insistent on bugging her, so we finally moved her food and litter into my office. Yes it was a pain and sucked for me (I hate stepping on litter and it’s always everywhere), but it was more peaceful for her, and she needed that. She slept a lot the last few months. She had inflammatory bowel disease for the last five years or so, and we’d finally gotten medications that seemed to be working, until the last week. She would have episodes, like they do, and she’d rally. There were many times in the last year when we thought she was done. She’d lose a ton of weight and stop eating and then she’d come back. But this time, she was sick over and over again and I knew we were probably done. It’s hard to make that decision, and certainly it’s one I’ve been debating for a few months now. She knew it was time, even if I didn’t; Because she was so feisty, the vet had tags on her file, and when I took her in, she was purring and chill and headbutting my shirt, like she does when she wants love. So I gave her all the love I could and said goodbye.
And it fucking sucks. And I really need to stop crying because I have to go get my eyes checked today and swollen and red will probably impede the eye doctor’s assessment. Sigh. This room sucks without her in it. It all sucks. And I know if you’ve said goodbye to a pet, you know what I’m talking about. Shit, I still get tears in my eyes when my damn phone shows me pictures of Calli (the Golden Retriever) or Midnight (one of the best cats ever). And yes, there are still three cats and a dog in this house. The Man even said I could claim one of his cats as mine, and they all give me love and I give them love back, but it’s not the same. She was a sweetheart who bit me so hard last year I needed antibiotics, but she was my sweetheart. Fucking sucks.
Also the Man wanted me to count how many quilts she’s in and it’s a lot. A bunch. She’s the cat in most of my quilts.
Wet washcloth on the eyeballs before I have to leave for the eye doc.
So yeah, had an awesome time in SF, then got COVID, then put my cat down, now going back to school, so not ready. At all.
I spent a lot of time with Kitten in the last few days, ironing in here. Almost 5 hours on Monday…
Only 2 1/2 yesterday…
Before and after going to the vet. Difficult. I made it through the swamp and the ICE officers. Still need to finish a bit up on them and add in the children they are dragging through the swamp. Then the trees and that gets me into the 1000s…with about 350 pieces to go. I could knock that out today, but think I’m going to ceramics. Debating book club. Not sure I can do that. They saw Kitten in all the Zooms and I don’t know if I can sit through that right now. Probably not. And I’m hoping to get into pilates (haven’t been in SO LONG), but I’m still on the waitlist and it’s less than 12 hours, so…it’s all hopeful. So I’ll iron some today and tomorrow and hopefully finish.
My craft room, my office, my studio is where Kitten was. So hard to be in here.
OK, and here’s the politics. My school board has members on it who lie. This is a flat out lie. The top two are a board member and his wife. Absolute bullshit. No one is paying us to show up. We show up because y’all are idiots.
And IDK who Amy is?
When I type her name into our district mail, it does not pop up…which doesn’t mean she doesn’t work for us…she could be new, and I don’t necessarily get everyone on email, but also, no one in the fucking district calls it by that name, because that name is WRONG. She doesn’t say here that we’re being paid to show up (we’re not; maybe those parents are though). Please open your eyes, y’all. People lie to get their agendas across. Luckily, we have three board members who are not Project 2025 sycophants, and they renewed our superintendent’s contract and finally approved the sex ed curriculum, which contrary to parents, does NOT teach kids to be trans or LGTBQIA. It does try to teach them tolerance. Heaven forbid we do that. God wants y’all to be tolerant (another staff member was quoting god things with regard to Trump the other day…this is what will drive me out of teaching). Read the Bible a few times, and you’ll see that. It’s funny when the atheist knows the bible better than the religious folk.
ANYWAY. Not shutting up about the stupidity…and it’s obviously not going away. Neither is my headache, so I’m going to go take meds, cold washcloth on the eyes, and do the things. And miss my baby kitty.
Hey it’s a Monday. The last Monday before I officially go back to work, although I am in fact going to go lesson plan today with my coteacher. Because that’s what teachers do, y’all. On summer. When we don’t get paid. Why do I do it? Because my later-August self will be so happy that I didn’t leave everything to the last minute. I’ll be exhausted because school started, but things will be mostly planned, because the planning days they give us will get eaten up by stupid meetings. They always do. So. That’s what we do. This will be the third 4-hour session this summer for us. We’ve done more in previous years; we’ve done less. Luckily (or biologically), as of Friday, I started feeling much better, able to stand and iron things, and I tested negative for COVID yesterday. The Man is still paranoid as shit (he started a new job this morning after 18 months of unemployment due to a work injury that has still not been solved), so he does not want to get sick. I agreed to giving him the 10 days of ‘stay away from me’ and even wore a mask in the car with him. It’s fine. He would get much sicker than me anyway. Although this is the third time I’ve gotten COVID (that I know of), and he gave it to me the first two times, including the first day of school a few years back. Fun times. Strangely, I was not sick at all last time (18 months ago) and was definitely sick the first and third times.
So, ironing!! Oh bliss, oh wondrousness. It’s funny. Often I put it off, OMG, it’s gonna be so hard, especially this time, because Kitten is now living in the studio with me (it’s not very big) and so I have her on a rolling office chair, her food and water is in here, with the damn litter tray, and the ironing board and another rolling office chair for my butt, plus the 17 tables that live in here. I finally just up and moved a bunch of stuff into the girlchild’s room (needs to be managed anyway…although now that school is starting, ha!). It’s crowded, and I can’t reach some of the fabric because Kitten is in the way. She gets freaked out if I move too much around or over her, and rolling the chair out of the way is problematic too. So it means I am limited to the fabric I can reach.
I started ironing before I went to San Francisco…got about 2 1/2 hours in, but hardly any pieces. This thing is complicated. Lots of little things. Friday night, I did about 90 minutes, I think…nah, almost 2 hours.
Definitely did some flesh in there, although there’s way more to come. Not much in the way of color yet.
Saturday, I felt FINE. And I had nothing else to do, so I got about 5 hours done.
Yeah…moved the pieces into a bigger box (had to find one that wasn’t being used). Lots of little people in this…still not very far into the pieces though. I was trying to keep track of what flesh colors I used for which arm (this thing has a lot of arms)…
Then yesterday, I went over two hours, no, almost three, and got the main figure ironed…
Still lots of brown and earth colors. But another Statue of Liberty. So far, I’m in the 700s, but I haven’t done all the 600s, and I’ve ironed for 12 1/2 hours. So almost halfway? It would be nice to get all these ironed down by Friday (the day we go back). We’ll see. I have all day tomorrow. I have some time on the other days. I had to move the dentist and the eye doctor to this week. Plus you know, all the stuff I was going to do all summer? Well, I never get it all done and so I should finish it all this week. Ha! Not happening. Never does. I know I need the down time, and I did so many fun art things this summer. I am worried about my ceramics. Don’t know if I can get there today though. We’ll see. The animals are going to have a shocking day with no one home. They’re already freaked out. Ah well.
I like this.
Especially as a public school teacher. But boss, the president told me to! New boss this year. Ugh.
I definitely need one of these, but I would just ignore it. I have a nonfiction book I’m trying to finish (so much harder than fiction), and I tell myself to read a chapter a day, but every chapter is LONG. Like 30 minutes or longer. Yes, I am spoiled by short fiction chapters. Remember reading real books (I’m reading one right now) and you would have to flip forward to see how many more pages until the chapter was over?
Well now it tells me how long it will take to read it, so I can read one more before I go to bed. Or work. Or whatever.
In reality, I just keep reading. OK, I need to take meds, find my work stuff (it’s all in the bag I shoved it in the last time we met, in the beginning of July), and get out of here for a few hours. Reality check. Not the fun kind. Wait, is there ever a fun kind of reality check? Huh. Then run errands and come back and find time to iron a bunch of things on the main figure, before I iron the ICE swamp. Second quilt ever with a swamp in it. Same president. Same fucking swamp. Enjoying the last four days before the next school year starts. Deep breaths.
OK. So I’ve been sick with COVID since Sunday night, apparently (sorry to my plane mates…I didn’t know). Yeah, I should have been masked, although I’m not sure where the girlchild and I both got sick. Hoping today is fever free. I am better…the first few days were very low energy and sleepy. I’m definitely increasing in energy, but was still running fevers yesterday on and off. I’ve canceled/rescheduled the dentist, exercise, lunch, not sure what else. I was planning on getting a booster shot this week, before going back to school. Oh well. Interestingly, the last time I tested positive, I had almost no symptoms. Not so much this time. Lots of sleeping and reading going on, and when I felt more energetic, I started appliqueing wool bits down to the borders of Sue Spargo’s Homegrown.
It’s mindboggling how long this takes.
Once I had tested for COVID, I moved into the girlchild’s room and my office, trying to limit the other people in the house from exposure. Hoping I wasn’t too late. It didn’t even cross my mind when I first started feeling sick. Silly really. The Man starts his new job on Monday and we’re hoping he doesn’t come down with it.
I’ve stitched down all the stuff on the top and bottom borders; I’m doing the side borders now.
Five flowers a side. Big ones. Time-consuming. Not hard though, which is good, because my brain is mostly nonfunctional. Amusingly, I’m also doing my district/state-mandated online trainings today, with about half my brain. Seriously, I’ve experienced over 20 years of integrated pest management and bloodborne pathogen trainings. The assessments are often stupid, making you memorize things that are not useful, like how big an opening a mouse needs to get in a building (all of them were small; you literally had to memorize which small thing they had mentioned in 28 minutes). I’m not saying we don’t need to know these things…it’s just a lot of minutiae.
Back to the stitching…there’s about 85 pieces that need to be appliqued down on the two side borders, and I probably have spent 8 hours so far. Not all of it this week…
Last night, I had Simba on the bed (past his bedtime) and Bowie coming to visit.
I kicked Bowie out later because he keeps climbing on shit and knocking things over.
Sleepy boy.
So I still have a ton of those to stitch down if I need more down time, which I probably do. I’d like to be energetic and well enough to stand in here (I’m in the office right now) and iron things to fabric…the thing I started before I went to San Francisco. I’d also like to have enough energy to go to ceramics, because it’s been a while and I’m worried about my piece. Not much I can do about it at the moment. I’ve had to move a bunch of stuff to next week that was supposed to happen this week, so it’s all of a sudden more full than I like. It is what it is, I guess. It’s now officially August and I have to think about school. Total mindset flip.
Meanwhile, the cats are all exhausted.
And hot…
Kind of with them.
There’s this…
No hubs but…and this is a joke, but I’d rather spend time making art, thanks.
OK, back to mandated reporter videos. I would like to thank them for making up a new complicated story for each year. Just watching this set of videos is traumatic. And having reported more than once, it’s too bad that humans can’t be better across the board. I have one anonymous card that I’ve kept for three years now. I do often wonder about that child and how they’re doing (multiple reports, police were involved, they sent the kid home with parents). Ah yes. And watching this training while thinking about the current government and the Epstein files? WTF. There’s a gap there that cannot be explained.
Sigh. Hopefully no fever today so I can be a little more active…starting tomorrow, I can be out of the house if I have no fever, although I need to track down a mask. Pretty sure there’s one in a purse or bag somewhere, or maybe in the car. I have a million at school…ironically. My gym bag? I’m glad I had enough books and brainless stitching lying around to entertain me, and furry beasts to provide sighs, boofs, and love. And someone to go out and buy more meds and food. Not that food is very exciting at the moment. I’m doing a lot of revising what I eat to get blood sugar to behave (hard when you’re sick). The CGM has been really helpful and I’m glad I finally agreed to it. Insurance is covering it completely, and if I keep up how I’ve been doing, my A1C will be coming down in the next three months. All good. Art. Health. Balance.
I’m back after 4+ very busy days in San Francisco with the girlchild, who is really very patient and fun to be around, even though we are now both sick. I’m not sure how. Maybe someone at SFMOMA? Someone at the show on Friday? Hard to know. Still an awesome trip…so much art.
Here’s all of it chronologically. Mostly. Before I left, I did some more ironing on the quilt in progress that won’t be done before school starts (which is fine).
And I washed out the last two dye paintings I did. The dye seems to be holding particularly well, being 8 days old at this point.
The one book that made any claims for how long the dyes last said 5 days; the other one said, yo, document your shit! So yeah, some of the dye is washing out, but I still like it.
NOW, today, the dyes are hmmm…15 days old. I haven’t tossed them. I was hoping to do some this week. This is before I got sick. We’ll see how it goes.
OK, so Thursday, I flew to San Francisco kind of early so we could do the one day SFMOMA is open late…just for Ruth Asawa’s show. And wow. Not only are her iconic pieces truly beautiful in person…
And the shadows!
But there is a lot of background info and other artwork of hers as she branched out (sometimes literally) that adds to the exhibit.
Also, holy crap, but she had 6 kids and was able to create consistently. I appreciate that. We did joke that almost every piece was called “Untitled”. She did some things with pens and patterns, plus ink…the repetitive quality of her work is very satisfying to experience.
And her later, more branching work, is also beautiful.
I really enjoyed her work.
We watched another segment of the Ragnar Kjartansson The Visitors exhibit. I’d seen about 20 minutes of it last July, and saw another 20, the last 20. Truly beautiful.
And we went through Yayoi Kusama’s Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity, I Would Offer My Love again.
Last time, there was a huge line, but late-night Thursdays seem to be the best time to go. Also, the show has been open for a year and is closing soon.
We had a late dinner and went to bed.
The next day, the girlchild needed to work and I had a couple of shows I wanted to see, so I headed out at a reasonable hour. I was staying in the Mission District, and the murals blow my mind every time I’m there. This is Boneyard Luv by Raiz y Gonzalez con Safos.
I didn’t get the mushroom artist.
And then I took BART over to Berkeley (easy to get there once I figured out where the station was) to BAMPFA to see Routed West.
I do love some old quilts, especially when they’re wonky. This is by Willia Ette Graham, started before 1944, completed in the 1950s, repaired in 1985. I love the addition of each set of new bits. Started with a crumb quilt and moved on.
This is a shadow star by Rebecca Smith and Bettie Chaffold (mother and daughter). I like the color of the squares with the stars.
This is Alice Neal’s Mary Bright Commemorative Quilt from the 1950s, in honor of her mother.
The center is very contemporary art quilt, with the hat and embroidery.
This is Quinciana Tatmon’s fan quilt. I love that she didn’t make it the way most fans are usually designed, and they she randomly appliqued them on top of the background. This is from the 1950s-60s.
And I always love clothes being put whole into a quilt. This is a britches quilt by Arbie Williams, pieced in 1993, and quilted by Irene Bankhead.
There are a lot of repeat names in these quilts…many were just tops and were finished later. I have a few of those from my grandmother lying around.
This was pieced by Cora Lee Hall Brown in 1981 and then quilted by Willia Ette Graham. there is one block but its repeat is so random and yet repetitive in a beautifully random way.
This was pieced by Louisa Fite in the 1950s-60s. It’s a log cabin with the blue and white feathers at the center of the log cabins. It was quilted in 1970 by Joan Thompson, her daughter.
More fun colors here…Johnnie Wade made this piece in 1996. Very graphic.
But check out the star and how it’s attached to the background. I love this. Because it’s not straight and it’s all buttonhole stitched down by hand.
Whatever works y’all. Great show…again at BAMPFA through November 30. From there, I walked through one corner of UC Berkeley, where I saw this sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro. This is Rotante Dal Foro Centrale in 1971.
I went to Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, bought a few half yards, but also felt like I should be making my own pants. In my spare time. It’s an option, I guess.
I have buttons in jars too, but nothing like this guy. I knew about the clothing, but my favorite piece in the show was this bathtub covered in buttons with the hint of a female figure (in white). This is darkmuskoilegyptiancrystals&floridawater/redpotionno.1 from a poem by Ntozake Shange. It’s about suicide and self love.
I was also fascinated by how he used buttons sculpturally.
And turned denim clothing into things they weren’t…this is the yoke and sleeves, but I also like how the pockets hang down.
Also he does some stitching between the buttons.
Here’s some more stacks…on this sleeve, kind of protective.
Another yoke, this is no sleeves.
I wasn’t great about documenting titles in this show. This is Button Apron: Black Target.
These are Button Shorts: Chillin’ Chaps.
And my favorite speedos…Button Speedo: Black Ice.
Nobody is coming near you with those on.
The show offered a chance to make your own button necklace or bracelet, so I did.
There was also a small exhibit there called A Roadmap to Stardust with this little ceramic sculptures of what look like astronauts. The exhibit was created by artists Neil Forrest and John Roloff (collaboratively known as OortCloudX).
It’s supposed to be an archaeological dig.
They’re fun.
Definitely an interesting little exhibit.
Oh here’s the 5 fabrics I did buy. I wanted to buy linen type stuff for pants, but I didn’t.
After all that, I made it back to the Mission and headed out for dinner with the girlchild and two of her friends…more murals. This is by Nychos, who I’ve followed on Instagram for years…nice to see one in person.
We had a great Burmese dinner, then walked a million miles uphill to an art collective to watch a friend of theirs sing in a band in the basement…it was mostly 70s and 80s with some more current stuff. Fun times.
The next day, I had persuaded the girlchild to take me to the International Fiber Arts XII exhibit in Sebastopol at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. And there’s the bridge.
Me in front of my piece War Zone.
This was an interesting and varied show…not just quilts, but all types of fiber arts, which is nice. This is Oh Know by Mark Sullivan.
Here is Does the Caged Bird Sing by Jóh Ricci. A really intriguing texture.
I realize this is a fungus, but it also looks like a dress to me (it’s highly likely it’s supposed to look like a dress). This is Mango Tango by George-Ann Bowers.
This interesting piece is Fairyfellers by Leonard Greco.
Intriguing characters…
This is two different pieces that work very well together. The top piece is Chimera by Erica Dincalci and the bottom is All in a Band by Mercy Hawkins.
The 3D work was fascinating. Here is Il Sogno della Bambina by Penelope Lenaerts.
More buttons and texture in Still Kickin by Marie Bergstedt.
These black clouds were very cool. This is Cloud Bursts by Kathy Pallie.
And this little cutie by Eileen Morabito, Make Love. Fuck War.
It was a very visually entertaining show that closes this week, I think.
We drove out on Florence Street, where we started to see the work of Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent. Almost every house had a sculpture in the front yard, and then we saw them all over town.
Patrick builds them out of junkyard remains and Brigitte paints them.
I love all of them. I want one in MY yard.
We headed out for the winery experience to a tiny but lovely place, the Horse & Plow Tasting Room. They do wine and cider and have a lovely outdoor space.
You can see we kinda needed this.
We shared one because this place is 90 minutes away from the girlchild’s home, so it was nice that she drove all that way for me.
When we got back, we rested a bit and headed out for bao and dumplings, which was fun. We happened to walk through an art exhibit on the way back and saw two art quilters’ work I knew…Joe Cunningham’sShelter dominating the exhibit.
The exhibit was for locals about the area and had a lot of fun work in it.
We walked back through the Mission…
The next morning was a late start for us, in that the girlchild wanted to watch a soccer game and I decided to wander around, feed myself, head over to Balmy Alley to photograph more murals, yadda yadda. I like how they all have their fists up in this mural by Martin Travers.
This is Victorion: El Defensor de la Mision, by Sirron Norris.
I kind of like the chairs here, but it blocks the painting a bit. This is Cosmogonia by Chilovia, Raiz-Peskador. I see two Instagram accounts on the painting: Pancho Pescador and Pablito Something.
I love the detailed storytelling murals. This is Mission Makeover by Lucia Ippolito & Tirso Araiza, her father.
Two details I found really interesting…this with Adam and Eve being pushed out by riot police is way too close to the ICE kidnappings happening recently.
And this bit with the monkeys and the guy that looks like he’s in court robes by plugged in with his mouth zipped shut.
Great imagery. This piece too…Women of the Resistance by Lucia Gonzalez Ippolito (the same artist from the last one) and more (the names are very hard to read, even in real life).
The upper portion with all the puppeteers of evil is amazing. There are strings coming down from their hands to try to control everything.
Absolutely on topic.
That gas tank dispenser…
Here is an older one; the part with the name is deteriorated…bottom left corner.
I like the tree with the body below in this one…by Laura Campos.
This sign was in one of the windows in the alley…I heartily agree.
I passed this trailer parked on 25th Street enough times to agree with it.
This is Leyend Azteca, which was directed by Leia Maahs and Jaime Wynn, painted by a bunch of people, possibly originally painted by Gustavo in 1978. Long story here…bottom right corner.
The girlchild eventually picked me up and we headed south to Filoli, which is this huge mansion in the middle of nowhere.
But it had (17,000 people AND) 6 of Thomas Dambo’s trolls, made from recycled materials. I saw one of these in Seattle and have kept an eye on them since.
It’s an expensive trip, unless you’re a member, but I found between the trolls, the gardens, and the house…plus there happened to be an art fair while we were there…it was worth it. We spent about 3 1/2 hours wandering around (in the heat, to be fair).
It was harder to get photos without people in them…
Hence no picture of this one’s face…
Except here, where I cropped out the entire family in the lower half.
And this one never had no kids on it.
But this is nice. And yes, they all have names and stories and are very kid friendly.
But awfully adult friendly too.
Super loved this place.
The gardens are pretty and have some interesting stuff in them.
And the house…well the ballroom is amazing and so are all the kitchen rooms (multiple rooms).
Yeah, I didn’t have time to figure out what these were.
I tried to get a picture of the squirrel I saw this morning running along the wires in front of my second-story window, but that didn’t happen. I flew back this morning…which is kind of when the girlchild and I realized we were both sick. This flight was delayed as well, which might just be a summer thing. And then I spent most of the afternoon lying on the couch or the bed and sleeping. I’m feeling a bit better now, but suspect tomorrow will still be ugh. I was just thinking I hadn’t been sick in ages…well, since my trip to Ohio, when I actually got sick when I got home. Fun times. It was a great trip…lots of good food and time with kid, plus art up the yinyang, whatever that means. Totally a cool time. I’ll be resting up for a couple of days and trying to figure out how to be ready for school next week. Too soon, y’all…too soon.
I really hate my ironing board. I would like a new one, one that doesn’t have sharp metal feet that grab my toes. One that is stable and doesn’t threaten to fall over. That said, when I’ve tried to find ironing boards in the past, they’re even more tippy and unstable than this one…this one was my grandmother’s, I think. It’s ancient. I put a heavy board on top that I use for ironing quilts together, because I need a larger space. At the moment, I have to move it around a lot because I’ve been trying to clean up in here and it’s problematic…I can’t put fabric on one shelf where it used to be, because one of two cats keeps peeing on it. I’m pretty sure it’s the old lady, but it might be the teenaged boy…they regularly are vying over the space. Probably the old lady. I even had piled some towels up that I was using to cover the fabric bins there, and then she peed on those. So. Yeah. I’m having to store bins on the floor and this room is not very big anyway…with two desks, a table, three bookshelves, a computer, a sewing machine, and all my fabric (well, not really ALL my fabric…that’s funny), it’s just crowded. The ironing board is always open and I move it around for what/where I need to use it. And every time I search for a new one, I get sidetracked by options and reviews and can’t make a decision. Because there isn’t an ironing board store I can go to and look at them (OMG I am old), so I have to do it all online, and the thought of trying to return an ironing board makes me break out in hives. So there’s that. But we might be there.
So the stupid stuff, eh? Overwhelming. But I could focus on the big fat ugly bill or Alligator Alcatraz and why we think it’s OK to treat HUMANS that way or the campers missing in Texas after the floods (look! God took the white Christian girls! See, it’s not any better, is it? It doesn’t matter what the kids look like or where they come from…it’s not OK.). Sigh. Certainly didn’t do much celebrating yesterday. My country is broken. OK, it always was broken. Now it’s just more in your face about it. So I’m trying to live my tiny life in the middle of all that. Plus this week, the Man will hear about a job (yes please) and I have a biopsy (ugh) and the girlchild is coming to visit (yay) and I need to pack for my residency (yikes). It’s not the chillest week in the world. My response to that is to read more books. And try to clean and fix more things. With the help of the Ex, the sprinklers are now back up and running. I tried but there needed to be more things fixed than the one I did (it was a valve). The two sprinklers that really weren’t working were totally corroded inside (ah, hard water)…so replacing those (and blowing all the dirt through the system) helped immensely.
This was a big achievement. I’ve had this on my list for months. I replaced one thing and then nothing worked. Sigh. I tried to patch the gap on the deck too, but I couldn’t get the caulk to move. Might just be too old? Frustrating though. So I think I’m going to Home Depot later. Fun times. I ran some errands on Thursday (waited until rush hour like an idiot) and ran into a former student, a not-pleasant reminder of him. I had totally blocked him and his entitlement and his annoying parents (mom mostly) from my mind, and now I need to reblock him. It’s OK. He’s a kid. Even as an adult, I won’t need to deal with him…and maybe he’ll get a clue by then. He’s smart, just spoiled.
So artwise, I’ve been sort of efficient. I’ve made it to the ceramics studio more times than usual, which is good.
A bunch of stuff fell/broke (I think it gets bumped on the shelf) and I had to fix a lot, but I got the greens done. Went back yesterday and reattached and reglazed stuff that broke, but that damn hand broke off again.
I’m close though. Almost there. Honestly, it’s glazed except for the flagpole and reglazing all the broken stuff.
I just need to finish it and get it in the kiln. Like this week. Hopefully.
I pinbasted my Sue Spargo Folk Tails, which has been done since 2020? I think? Seriously.
Mostly I hadn’t done it yet because I wanted to finish the bird one first (the bigger one) before stashing a bunch of safety pins in something that would just sit in a pile for a while. It’s a challenge to quilt this…mostly because I need to go AROUND everything. Not hard, just a pain. So it’s next on my list to finish this summer. But before I do that, I’m trying to piece together the improv piece I did on Zoom with Irene Roderick…
It’s all these random shapes that need to fit together, and then I need to make it into a rectangle shape. So I worked on that yesterday. I have it all in three pieces at the moment, with a freaking Y seam (not the first). Almost there. This is so not my style, and I realized at Quilt National that all the Irene people’s quilts look similar, so I’m deciding how to make it mine. I’m trying to finish this so I can take the design board on my residency next week. Whatever gets it done, right? I could probably finish putting the top together today.
Then I cut out all the wool/cotton bits for the side borders of Homegrown (another Spargo…yeah, I enjoy making them), pinned them on, and am slowly stitching them all down. I won’t get this one done in 2025. Bet.
The embroidery will take forever and then I’ll put it in a pile for a year or two before deciding to quilt it. Let’s be real. It’s not about the finished product; it’s totally about the making.
In art quilt news, I’m still tracing Wonder Under…
The dirt was a lot of big pieces, and then I had a bunch of little pieces that fit in between all those big pieces.
I tried a bund of people and then started tracing gravestones. Right when those dumbasses passed a bill kicking a ton of real live people off Medicare. Including one I live with…yeah, it won’t take effect until after the November elections, and hopefully he’ll have a job by then, but there’s a lot of people who can’t work or can’t find work. So we aren’t taking care of people any more unless they’re so rich they don’t really need to worry about it.
Last night, I made it into the low 600s…of 1366.
Not even halfway. I was hoping to be done with tracing today, but I would have had to be way more focused than I have been for that to happen. So maybe that’s the other thing I’m doing today. I’m still only on the second yard of Wonder Under…lots of small pieces to drive me nuts later.
My little quilt made it to my SIL for her birthday.
I love the location.
I lost the dog in the ferns…he likes to pee in there.
Really, this is yet another part of the yard I need to control. Ha! This yard is beyond my ability. I’d need a gardener and even then…
I found these guys (screamed a little because a bunch were on my shirt) while trimming shit.
They become some kind of beetle. But for now, they are in the greenery trash can.
I saw this…and yes, I feel like I need that but also, no I’m not doing that.
I’m putting it here for when I’m really old and retired and maybe bored (will I ever be bored?). That dissociative state is looking nice.
Although honestly, making art helps with that. And it’s too hot for sweatpants, but the other night, I found myself tracing Wonder Under with shorts and a tank top on, but also fuzzy socks, because my feet were cold. Love old body. It’s so inconsistent.
This.
So frustrating. Incredibly.
Simba after three hours of fireworks on THURSDAY night (not even the 4th, y’all). He barked the entire time. And I was tracing stuff, so I wasn’t making him feel safe.
Last night, he was better…only a little. Mostly because the boychild was back. For how long? We never know. His sister is coming to visit, so if previous years are anything to go by, he’ll be sent to some fire this week.
This is amazing. This is Liberty Bleeds by Niki McQueen.
I wish I had enough wall space for her work (it’s available as posters to benefit the ACLU)…it reminds me of my own stuff, the cutting open part.
I think Nova is the big softie that both Luna and Bowie turn to for love and safety.
Luna is so paranoid. And it’s hot, so it’s funny when they curl up together, because I’m like, don’t fucking touch me, it’s hot. And yet there’s always a cat or a dog (or both) next to me.
This is always true.
So yeah. I think I already decided I’m piecing things and tracing things today. The Man has a show tonight downtown, so I’m probably riding the trolley down and then getting a ride back. Their regular lead singer has ‘quit’ (we hope not permanently), so they’re borrowing a singer from another band. Should be interesting. Luckily they are the opening band, so it’s not a midnight thing. I’m too old for that stuff? That’s a lie; I happily stay up past midnight doing art things. I just don’t like mornings. My goal for the week? Be chill. Stay chill. Make the things. Find the supplies for next week. So excited for next week. Meal planning now. And making sure I have materials. I don’t want to get up there and realize I need one chemical I left at home. Inevitably I will forget something though. Truth. 33 days until school. I can’t find a countdown timer that works with the iphone widget or whatever they’re calling it now. Frustrating. That and the ironing board problem are an issue for another day though. Right now, I need to eat, shower, and do some stuff that refills the cup. Or something. Finds the spoons.
Sitting here waiting for health insurance chat to answer. So much wait time with health stuff. That’s not going to get better. And I’m glad to have insurance. Health stuff is stressful. Time-consuming. Expensive. Crucial. It’s so easy for some people to say, well get a job, then you’ll get healthcare…not always true, not always possible. My household includes someone who’s been trying to get a job with physical restrictions for over a year, and it’s not as easy as J.D. Vance and his compatriots think it is. People with disabilities who may need support at work; they just don’t get interviews, or they get one and then get ghosted. It’s stressful for all of us to see that and live with it. But hey, we’re not rich, so we don’t matter. We’re gonna die anyway. The politicians…sigh…I mean, at least Lisa Murkowski was honest about doing what’s best for Alaskans, but in doing so, fucked the rest of us. The rest of those who voted for that bill? What is wrong with them? Some complain and then vote for it anyway? And now the government is refusing to send all the education money that Congress allocated. As someone in a Title I school, where kids live in a variety of not-great situations, I’m worried; no that’s not a big enough word for what they’re doing to kids, to families who struggle, to anyone of color. I don’t get it. I’m scared by it. Worried is not a big enough word.
So in all that, I make art. And try to get control of my diabetes. And worry about the things growing in my boob. And worry about my cat…she’s old and not doing well, especially with the heat. Worry about my job. New boss. The damn sprinklers. How to paint the shed when one wall is right against a chainlink fence. Obviously need to make more art, exercise more.
Finished numbering.
Did you guess? I guessed 1500 based on where I was and how much was left. I was wrong…it’s 1366…
Give or take a few, because I always miss something or double number something. Not a ton, but a lot. A goodly amount. I could have filled the sky in and got more, but I kind of didn’t want to. So I didn’t.
Last night, I started tracing…
I’ll be there for a while. Like 12 more hours probably. Which is fine. I’d like to get myself to a place where I’m tracing for more than an hour a day, but so far, there’s been too much other stuff to do. I spent the last two days planning with my science partner, about 8 hours total. It looked a lot like this…
Well, and there was other stuff, but this is the only picture I took, and I took it because I realized when I moved all the files, I wouldn’t be able to find them in all the other files because most of them had illogical names. I can delete this picture now. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE IT WILL EXIST.
Anyway, I’d like to say that my 8 hours (it was more than that; I did some at home too) of unpaid work was all I needed to do for school this summer, but that’s not true. We’re meeting again in August. We did well, but my late August/September self will be happier if I do a bit more specific shit. But not today. Today, I need to go to the ceramics studio and underglaze. I know I broke something on Friday. I felt it. Like every fucking time, I’m breaking shit. Sigh. And there will probably be a bunch of people there, but I couldn’t handle going the last two afternoons…I was so braindead after working, so I didn’t go. Oops. Oh well.
That political shit again.
And the amount they want to spend on ICE? Just terrorizing people who are actually trying to be legal and paying taxes and all that shit? Who aren’t committing crimes? So fucked up.
Attempting to ignore the political crap is impossible. I can hide in art, but my art is also political, so it’s not always hiding in a non-stressful way. Ah well. I can try to eat better and make art and clean the house and take care of the cat and paint the shed. I mean, that might be all I really can do at the moment. And I know that should be OK, but it’s not. Not for the planet or the country. OK. Going to ceramics…soon. Then I’ll just do what I can.
I know, I know, I’m writing super late. I worked this morning. And afternoon. And I didn’t want to get up super early, so I got the photos resized for the post and that was it. And then I did more work when I got home. So here I am, remembering I was supposed to write today. Which pretty much sums up Summer Break for a teacher. Yes, I did teacher stuff today. My co-teacher and I usually try to plan during the summer, just to get a handle on things we want to change for next year. Sometimes we get paid, but we aren’t this year. I think. Who knows? New principal. No one has a clue what’s going on. We’re backwards planning to make sure we have time to teach natural selection and evolution, the last unit, and then revising the first two units…three units. Well, we’re not gonna get all that done in two 4-hour sessions, for sure. But we’ll have a pretty good start.
So the weekend…I worked on the drawing…finishing up the bottom part on Friday night.
Mostly anyway. Then Saturday evening, I put some planets in the sky…
Bowie was absolutely no help.
Last night, I finished up some stuff around the planets and called it done, although I may change my mind about that tonight.
And then I started numbering, but I didn’t finish.
I knew I had to get up in the morning, so staying up until 2 AM writing numbers would be a bad plan, right? Don’t ask Summer Brain…they’re like all in with Art Brain and don’t give a shit that I can’t sleep in. So I was going to finish numbering this afternoon and totally that hasn’t happened. But maybe after I finish this.
I also finished the binding and sleeves on this during my local SAQA Zoom meeting…
Shitty picture, I know. Ah well. Need a place to hang it up now.
On Saturday, I also finished a present for my SIL…in October or so last year, to test the new Wonder Under, I made a small flying heart. She saw in online and asked for it for Christmas, but like finished, you know. A thing. So I said yes and then promptly lost it. I didn’t really lose it. I hung it up in my studio/office and then hung a drawing up in front of it, so I couldn’t see it and forgot it was there. For like three months. I found it in January when I took the drawing down…not right away though…it took me a few weeks before I saw it. Then I figured, oh, I’ll give it to her for her July birthday, so instead of making something out of it like right then (like a sane person), I procrastinated until Saturday and then finished it.
I mailed it today. It’ll be late. Ah well.
Saturday was also the wedding of a coworker to one of my former students. Weird, huh? Here’s all the teachers…
The bride is younger than my daughter. I’m laughing because Stace is grabbing my ass. She’s smirking in the back. We did not all plan to wear blue and green. Seriously.
And here’s one of my former 7th graders, now a nice young man who cried during the ceremony, making him one of my favorite guys forever.
Seriously…raise your boys to be able to cry at emotional events.
I did some ceramics stuff on Friday…more painting.
I keep breaking things off dammit. So I’m trying to get it all underglazed before more breaks. Not sure when I’m going in again. Tomorrow? Hopefully…if I’m not as braindead as I was today after lesson planning for four hours.
That’s too true.
I love this.
There’s so much negative shit out there right now. I love the little bits of fuck off I see happening. Because I just got my measles booster because of that idiot.
OK, normally this is where I’d say what I’m doing for the rest of the day, but it’s 6 PM and I just fed the dog. I might go do some yardwork because it’s cooled off a little. I did some digging (against the gophers) yesterday. Need more gravel to fix what they did. Sigh. Should probably water first. I’ll be numbering shit tonight and then hopefully starting to trace. It would be nice if I was done with tracing and trimming by Monday, and then ironed to fabric by the time I leave for my residency. Taking stuff to trim is always a good thing. I can’t think beyond that. I want to finish my book? Probably not happening tonight. But soon. Oh I entered a residency for next summer…hopeful?! I think that’s it. It seems like enough, doesn’t it?
UGH. OK, I know it’s the first day of Summer Break and I should be all woo hoo and all that, but I’m just exhausted beyond belief. The dog was boofing this morning, the cat was scratching, it was not a sleepfest like I wanted. It’s fine. I’ve got 51 days off. It’s not two months (the kids were like, don’t we get two months? I’m like, well, not quite, and that is the theme for the rest of your life.). Also I have three appointments today for vet and doctor, so that’s not fun. But my brain is already trying to make a to-do list 17 miles long, so nothing has changed there, and last night, I was a blob. So yeah.
I will get to art. I don’t know when. But I will. Hopefully today.
Meanwhile, I’ve been doing wool Sue Spargo things. They’re easy because I don’t have to think too hard…although quilting this requires a little thought.
I looked at the quilting someone did on Sue’s original piece (this is Chirp, by the way, in case you want to make your own, because no, I’m not selling you mine, are you nuts?) and kind of tried to emulate it. Lots of leaves and flowers and swirls and pebbles.
It’s fun. Also I need a thread for the borders that works with the two colors of green. Maybe I can get that before or after pilates? We’ll see. I should finish quilting the inside today easily. But I also want to start drawing the new art quilt, plus I have some ideas for experimenting with stuff that I want to try out…prep some stuff for the week away from here.
Also, honestly, I need to lie around, read books, and nap.
Monday was promotion practice for most of the morning, then one period in the classroom where I put on a movie and turned out the lights and tried to put away all the science stuff that showed up in my classroom in the morning. I love that. When the other science teachers are cleaning stuff out and dump stuff on me at the last minute when I don’t actually have much time in my classroom to put it away. But I did it. So the practice was all outside and we had a heat advisory. Which just means it was in the low 90s, high 80s. It will be hotter later this year. After that, we did t-shirt signing and a BBQ thing and then a color run, where the kids run around and we throw powder at them.
Obviously, they would throw it at us too, thinking we’d get all upset, but no, we just don’t care.
Bring it.
Had duty after school like that, then went to the staff meeting like that, then went home and showered for the first time…I think there’s still blue in my right ear. The powder goes through one layer of clothing, in case you wondered.
I washed my hat, my clothes, my backpack, and my flipflops. I’m so glad I didn’t wear my regular work shoes. It washed out in the washing machine…the hat needs more help. It might need to go in the machine…not sure if it can.
Yesterday was promotion, still freaking hot as hell, but shorter. We then went to get frozen yogurt as a team (minus two members)…
Because why not? Went back to our rooms, my coteacher and I managed to get checked out (booya!), then went to the afterschool party, had some snacks and a couple of drinks, then went to the last-minute asshole emergency school board meeting (seriously? 3 PM on the last day of school? Y’all are assholes) that the two Project 2025 assholes didn’t even show up for??? My goodness. They just wanna fuck with us. Not a fan. Then home. On the couch. Read. Drank an entire large bottle of water. Fell asleep. Read some more. Made dinner. Spaced out. Sewed some wool bits down. That’s all I had. Tried to go to bed early, but dog…tried to sleep in, but dog…
Saw this fire pop up (on the apps, then in real life)…
The boychild was sent out to it yesterday, but released last night. The fire decided to stop being a big asshole. It’s still out there and the sky is hazy, smells a bit of fire spirit, but they’re getting a handle on it.
Wow. So a busy couple of days with no art at all. Not true. I entered a complicated art show, rewrote my resume and artist statement for that. Also sent bio and wall text to another show that opens July 12 down in San Ysidro…two pieces in that one. And sent more work off for a proposal for the Oceanside Museum of Art at some unknown time. So not NO art…just no actual hands-on stuff. Just the business of art. Which happens too.
Today? Vet for dog so he can get his teeth cleaned in the future. Then measles shot (because I had that one-shot version back in 1967 and it’s not enough) and boob MRI. Appreciating that…not. Then pilates. I’m so tired, y’all. Really tired. I know that’s normal. I know it happens every year. This year feels more tiring. Not sure why. It’s not age, because I’m not the only one. It’s possible all the crazy politics and worry about wars (like please stop threatening Iran you dumbass) makes it worse. Who knows. I’ve got 51 days to try to reset myself…and my house! Because it’s a crazy mess. But maybe not starting today.
Last Monday of the 2024/2025 school year. Also supposed to be 90 degrees and we’re outside for most of it. There was some claim of low clouds for the morning, but there is no sign of that here, 2.74 miles away from school. I have sunscreen, a hat, a change of shoes (color run), water…but I lose my prep period, so when will I eat my snack and pee? No one is clear on that one. The things that count, though…
So. Cool things. I was followed by this art center I’d never heard of and kind of looked at it and went, huh. Why? And didn’t follow back (probably a mistake). Then saw that someone who had bought one of my pieces was having a show of her collection at said art center…go look at it and notice who else’s work is in the show…with mine. Wow. That’s kinda cool. Here’s the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Indiana, only an hour out from Chicago (I looked). And the show is Women to the Front (great title)…and here’s the artist list.
Oh yeah. OK. Impressive. Wish I could figure out how to get to that show, but it’s summer and I’ve already spent all my travel funds. Note to self: follow art centers back. Don’t question it.
Did some underglazing on Friday.
Still taking forever. Fun times. I did all the black things. Next? I think red. There also might be more gray (gun, I’m looking at you).
I marched on Saturday…
It was a lot of people.
Apparently over 60,000. All peaceful.
It was a long day…took the trolley in (read my book both directions).
The Man came too…probably a lot more people than he’s been around for a while. But it was good to see that and feel that. The total number of protesters all over the US has been all over the map, from 5-12 million. Still a lot. Maybe someone should listen to that.
We came home and I read to Bowie…
Little cross-eyed bastard. Put him to sleep…
Depositing hair everywhere.
I did a little wool stitchdown.
Nova really wanted to be on my lap, but wool AND cat when it’s hot? Ugh.
I sandwiched and pinbasted Chirp, the next finished Sue Spargo I had lying around.
Might as well finish some things while my brain is processing. I did finally manage to start a drawing…twice…and this isn’t the final for sure, but it’s processing…
I know what I’m aiming for finally. So that’ll be this week.
Yeah this…
And he did say who he was. So much incompetence in government officials right now…and I’m not talking about Padilla.
Astrology stuff always cracks me up. Both the Man and I are different water signs, and incredibly different people. Shockingly.
I think most of those are mine, not his. And barely accurate. Ah well.
OK. School is weird today. Promotion practice, which usually takes a few hours and a few tries. It’s gonna be hot and sunny. I lose my prep period. Then I probably have kids in Period 4? Admin seemed to think Period 3 too? OK. Never happened in the last two years, so not sure I believe you. But whatever. Three years? How many years have I been 8th grade now? Fuck. Can’t remember. So that. Showing videos if we’re back in class. Not doing anything else. Then lunch, then the last few hours are helping to manage kids with Tshirt signing, BBQ, and color run. Then duty (outside in the heat again) and a staff meeting (UGH). Hopefully I will have the energy for clay afterwards, but it won’t surprise me if I don’t. I sense sweat and sunburn in my future. But we’re almost out! Tomorrow is promotion and my room is almost cleared out, so I won’t have to come back on Wednesday. Woohoo! Summer break, I am ready. To sleep for a couple of weeks (it never happens…there’s too much noise and light for me to sleep).
I had to leave for school yesterday with only 9% of my book to be read. I think it said 18 minutes. Good book; wanted to know how it ended. Day job. It’s fine, I read during my prep period and then continued cleaning things and putting them away. I have a giant paper cut from all that, which I don’t appreciate. And a few bruises of unknown origin. Always fun. But yesterday was that great day when you get to the end, walk next door to your coteacher, and say, wait…what do we do with ourselves? Grades are done. Everything is set up for the next three days (well, besides whatever clusterfuck we don’t know about yet). I’m supposed to be at an awards breakfast in 25 minutes (ugh…that’s just for setup). But school is mostly done, besides the surviving part. And cleaning. It’s amazing. I’ve almost survived it. I don’t have to go home and prep, plan, or grade. A joy. Almost a joy. Still teaching today.
I still haven’t started a new art piece. I need to start drawing, and to do that, I need to not be exhausted at the end of the day. Haven’t gotten there yet. Wednesday night, I finished the Tinsel quilt for my mom…
It needs hanging stuff and I need to handsew the label.
Only 2 1/2 years. I thought it was less. Oh well.
Last night was my monthly stitching meeting with friends, so I worked on the June Rooted block.
Progress. This one has a lot of fussy little things in it. I’ll be here a while. This stuff is very relaxing though. I came home and kept stitching on the bits and pieces of the Homegrown borders, which have been sitting around and waiting for a good long while.
These are all Sue Spargo blocks of the month. I find them relaxing and fun to work on in between other stuff. I’ve got two of them to quilt as well, so I might do some of that in between other things this summer. We’ll see. At the moment, I can’t see past today, so there’s that.
Too true.
Dragging the Man out to a protest march tomorrow. I’m boggled by the crazy out there…not the protesters…the government. The lack of forethought for their behaviors. Yes, if you arrest all the farm workers, there will be no food, you idiots. One of my coworkers said they were only arresting criminals. You know who doesn’t go to immigration interviews? Criminals. People who are following the rules do. There’s no due process here, no checking to see if people have legal status. Hell, they keep throwing congresspeople to the floor. No questions! It’s terrifying. Mindboggling. Anyway. So I get to go to school today, sit through one promotion lineup, dump my kids off to turn in their Chromebooks, teach the rest of the day about goal setting (something no one is doing right now), handing back time capsules, then hopefully going to ceramics. Protest tomorrow. Two more days of school next week, mostly outside in the sun. Which reminds me, I need sunscreen for today. That’s important.
Kathy Nida 