Wicker Flamingos

It’s Friday. What a delightful sentence. Although this week is kind of a crazy mess…all life related, not school related. I finished progress report grades last night, way earlier than normal. Kids are still trying to turn in late work, and that’s fine, I’ll grade it, but not for the progress report. I’m actually, as of this very second, CAUGHT UP WITH GRADES. Shhh. It’s OK, as of the moment I start teaching, there are things being turned in that I need to grade. So much drama with school at the moment though. Yesterday was a lockdown because of a shooting in the neighborhood…glad we weren’t at the high school. I think they were locked down for more than four hours. And it was my prep period, amusingly enough. So I didn’t have kids. I think that’s the second time that’s happened. I’m OK with it. The shooting…not OK with that. Someone did die and that’s sad. Sigh. AND now two of our classes didn’t get full periods yesterday, so they’re off on time, and on Monday, we have a sex trafficking assembly (fun times) and two OTHER classes will lose an entire period, so scheduling shit at the moment is a clusterfuck. Anyway. School is always on the crazy side…and the last half of the last trimester is even more so.

I’ve been ironing stuff down still…finished page 4…

I just had all the hair versions to do. Then I started ironing down page 3.

I didn’t get very far. Last night was my stitching Zoom, so I cut out page 1 (aka the cover).

So many tiny pieces. The new Wonder Under doesn’t stick enough, releases too easily. So when I’m cutting out a complicated shape, it just releases. Annoying.

Then I went back to ironing page 3 to fabric.

I almost finished…just need to do the pile of books in her arm. Then I’ll keep cutting stuff out tonight, tomorrow night, and Sunday, and then hopefully be ironing it all together by Monday. That’s the plan. The deadline on this is tight. I’m running out of time. It’s a good thing grades are done. Here’s all the fabrics used so far…

I don’t think I actually added any last night…no wait, I added a black. And a red? Maybe? Oh yeah, the red hair. Otherwise, I’m just reusing fabrics I’ve already used…makes it all look like it goes together when you repeat fabrics you’ve used elsewhere.

This is also this weekend.

I’ll be lucky to get to a few of the bookstores. It’s a busy weekend. Do I need more books? Of course I do. I just don’t have anywhere to put them and I haven’t actually finished any of the ones I have already. Minor issue.

Some political notes…

Of course, it’s very 1st world to just be worried about my 401k (and I’m really not only worried about it…quite honestly, there’s much more worrisome stuff out there). Although this is good news…

And good reason to get rid of Thomas and Alito. Because they are both idiots.

And this…seriously, so much.

Not just a president…all of the crazy lackeys who don’t know how to do their jobs, how to be safe and secure, how NOT to ally with Russia ffs, how not to alienate an entire group of intelligent and competent people who run a shit ton of the tech in this world and definitely hold jobs and pay taxes. Also I found out last night that I can’t eat fast food burgers anymore (well, I don’t eat a lot of those anyway) unless I go only to one that I can’t remember the name of (dammit). You know, I’ve stopped spending money at a bunch of places due to their political leanings and contributions, and it’s saving me money, but also, one of them emailed and threatened to shut down my store card and I’m like, um, this is how you’re going to deal with consumer dislike of your policies? Go ahead. Shut down my card. If I wanted another one, you’d give it to me. So wah to you. Really. I replaced you with a store that has hundreds of wicker flamingos (no joke, I was so tempted). But I don’t NEED wicker flamingos. Or do I?

Anyway. School today. Try to get everyone on the same (similar?) page. Start teaching GMOs. Evil? Or no? Tough one. Then ceramics to fix the thing that broke off on Tuesday and hopefully to build more. Then tomorrow is a bunch of chaos, but hopefully some is fun, and repeat on Sunday. I really need more sleep too and I don’t think that is happening any time soon. And I need to schedule a measles booster and an MRI of the boobage. Fun times, fun times. Art is gonna happen today. That’s the focus.

A Bag of Rocks.

Well hey. I’ve taught two whole days and already feel like a semi truck has driven through me. I’ve got new shoes arriving Saturday. Kept thinking I would have the time (and mental space) to drive up to the shoe place and just buy them, but you know what? I didn’t. Let’s talk about my reality of time…there’s never enough. That’s it really.

So I got my titers tested for the measles vaccine, because I’m in the timeframe of ‘possibly not protected’, and sure enough, I’m probably not. We’ll see if that turns into needing a new vaccine. I’ll wait until school is out to do it, just because these days, about half of the vaccines cause me issues. Don’t need to deal with that during school, for sure.

In clay news, I finally (FINALLY!!!) got the base in the bisque kiln. It was a logistical thing, lifting her down in there. Certainly makes me wonder about the next layer, how it will sit in there. How the fuck I’ll get it IN there.

They’re just incredibly fragile at the greenware stage. As I realized AGAIN last night. I did more work on the upper torso…had to reattach the hand again because I think someone bumped it.

She doesn’t fit on my shelf, so she’s on the shared shelves, and covered, so people can’t see what they’re bumping. So I reattached the hand, but some stuff was slipping too…so I tried to fix everything I could, and then broke the damn coathanger for the 17th time, plus the two classes that come in Tuesday night were showing up, so I needed to get out of the way. I put some burnt out buildings on the left arm. Then went to move it to the shelf, and I don’t think I bumped anything, but I felt the guy with the gun fall off. Fuck me. I didn’t have time (or the mental space) to reattach at that point, so I’ll try to go in tomorrow and do that. This part is also at that incredibly fragile stage. Everything just breaks so easily. This is clay though. This is what it does. I did also start a neck…you can see it there. The plan is to have that piece harden slightly in place…the torso is hardened (mostly), so it’s done some of the shrinking it’s supposed to, but if I start the head there and let that piece harden up a bit, and then make it a support, I can build the head separately once this part is done. I think. I’m a little concerned about how the piece is going to balance. The bottom is super light because it’s empty. I might need to put a bag of rocks in it. Seriously. Problems for summer, I think. This piece is taking forever.

In quilt news, I finished ironing down page 2 (or page 1, depending on whether the cover is page 1 or not numbered).

I trimmed and ironed the first of the embroidery pieces. I tried to be super neat with the stitching, using very few carryovers, trimming all the knots, but there’s still stitching showing through. I’m OK with that. Really, I’d have to be because I don’t have time to start over. Black thread on white fabric was always going to be problematic.

Last night, I got a goodly chunk of page 4 done. Why did I skip page 3? Because I forgot to number that page consecutively, so it’s in a separate box, and half of page 4 was already laid out because when I realized I fucked up with page 3, I started page 4 from page 2. Got it? Hope so. Well, really, doesn’t matter if you do, because I do. As I’m ironing, I’m separating each page into its own box anyway at this point. It’s just easier.

I ironed everything except the hair, which is complicated as all hell. I’ll do that tonight and start page 3. Hopefully, I’ll finish ironing down tomorrow night and start trimming, which won’t take long. I’m hoping to be ironing this together over the weekend…although that’s busy too. AND grades are due. Fun times. I shouldn’t have to do progress report or report card grades over the weekend…and I always end up doing it…which sucks.

If I were teaching 7th-grade science next year, I’d totally use this in class…

I mean, the boys always ask if they can eat things in class (chemistry), and I always pick up the phone and say “Hang on, let me dial 911” and then give them a scary smile.

OK, today the kids are doing a mostly independent assignment. I can’t direct teach another day; my voice won’t handle it. I’m trying to plan out the rest of the unit, but people keep adding things, and there’s literally no time left. We have like next week. And then we go into state testing, which means shortened days, shortened classes, tired and cranky kids (well that’s nothing new). And then sex ed. And then they graduate and get out of here and we start over with the next group. At least we know we’re doing 8th grade; my brain is already planning next year, trying to find 5 weeks to teach the shit we missed. Ha! We’ll be meeting over the summer for sure. I really have no plans for the summer, pros and cons. I might do a self-created residency. Maybe. We’ll see. Money might be an issue. It often is. OK. School. Mutations. Looking forward to kids’ reports on that.

Ready or Not

Well there’s nothing like the shitty Sunday sleep that comes after two weeks off of work. I’ve got a few thousand things to do rattling around in my head for today, and sleep was not my friend last night. I mean, sleep is never really my friend, but sometimes it comes along for the ride. There are 41 days of school left. It feels doable until you consider the details. Grades are due next Tuesday. I was really good and didn’t grade until last Friday. I didn’t finish, but that’s OK. This is a progress report so I don’t have to be done. The texts are rolling in about how we have new projectors, but they’re not set up and our rooms are messed up. Fun times. School starts in less than 90 minutes and now we have to set up beforehand. Ah well. I’m not rushing to get there. I’m boggled the district doesn’t send an email out about having to set shit back up and how. I know they assume we all come in over break, but I stayed away and it was a good thing. I needed a serious reset.

I forgot to post on Friday…it was a busy day. I had to pick up art in the morning, long drive, then doctor appointment, then I graded all afternoon and did some yardwork, then we went to see Regency Girls at the Old Globe.

It was fun, a good women’s-rights-friendly musical. So no art happened on Friday though. Saturday, I made it to ceramics. I was supposed to load the base of this piece into the kiln, but it was too warm. I’m going back tomorrow. I did add some bullets and money to the upper torso…

I had to fix the flag and some fingers first.

Sculpting is definitely a skill that needs developing.

This thing is a little crazy at the moment.

I also worked on the new quilt, after delivering the last one to the photographer and picking up the one before it. This is Portrait of One Self.

She’s big. She took four months to finish. Crazy really. Thought I’d hit a deadline; didn’t even come close. Ah well.

Started ironing with the Statue of Liberty…

Second Statue of Liberty in one of my pieces.

Yesterday, I washed all the embroideries, then realized I’d missed a bit. I’ll fix that tonight hopefully. Then I started ironing page 2…or is it page 1? Because the statue is the cover page.

Easier for me to think of it as four pages. I didn’t finish. This one is more complicated. So hopefully by the end of the week, all the page pieces will be ironed to fabric and I can start trimming. There’s a super tight deadline on these guys.

This is a thing.

Real people helping real people. Seriously, if you think she’s a caricature, you should listen to Dolly Parton’s America, the podcast. She’s not who you think she is. And she’s better than those dingbats who went to space.

Simba agrees.

Wishful viewing of the bunnies in the front yard.

OK. School. Apparently need to put my room back together before kids get there. Nothing is set up, I think. Or did I do it before I left? I don’t think I did, because they were gonna do our floors. Deep breath. It’s fine. Today’s teaching is easy. Then a 2-hour staff meeting (ugh). Then errands, dinner, art. The Man is having dental surgery today and is on liquids and soft food for about a week…so my dinners are my own problem. Pros and cons to that. I’m expecting some exhaustion this week. Going back to school always does that, more so as I get older. But also, I’m reading two books, making some art, dealing with yard stuff. Nothing new. Grades. Damn. Grades already. OK. Well, that’s happening whether I’m ready for it or not.

Set Them…

OK. Five days. Anyone can do five days. Tomorrow will be the longest day, because apparently Tuesdays are now the longest days instead of Wednesdays. Not sure why. A 2024 school year thing? Who knows. I feel pretty good about the weekend; I got the things done that I planned to get done. I could have done more, but that is always the case. I feel prepared going into this week (well, mostly), unlike almost every other week since Winter Break. I’ve taught this before; I know what it looks like. It’s not all direct instruction. I get time to grade the two weeks of homework I haven’t gotten to yet. All good. Plus the quilt progress is ahead of where I thought I’d be, so that’s awesome.

I ironed on Friday night…

Got a good chunk of the second figure done. Saturday, I finished her…

And Sunday, I had picked a background fabric that was big enough, but when I unfolded it to iron everything down, there was a square chunk out of it in exactly the wrong place…it wasn’t going to be big enough (it was just big enough in the first place), so I picked a different one. And then ironed it down…

I’m glad I had another one that was big enough…although this isn’t a huge quilt really.

Then I started stitchdown…

I got a good solid start…did all of the torso on the more complicated figure. I should be able to finish tonight or come close to it, then pinbaste and sandwich tomorrow night and start quilting. This one is on a deadline. Hell, everything I’m working on right now is on a deadline. I need to prep the embroidery I’m taking with us on our trip too. No worries. Just got two Zoom meetings at night this week and packing to do, plus keep up with school stuff. Although I’m mostly caught up (breathe…knock on wood).

I also went to the ceramics studio on Friday. It was delightfully empty. A bunch of people are at a ceramics convention, but Fridays have been empty lately. I finished (for reals this time) the underglazing on the base…

It’s currently drying. It’ll get bisque fired soon. When I think it’s dry. I started the base on November 4. I wasn’t working on it all that time…I needed it to put the next level on to make sure they’d fit and work together. I should have underglazed it sooner, but I was distracted.

The back is not as exciting.

This is the second level in progress…

I think I started it in January. It’s solidified nicely, but is still pliable enough to attach more things. And attach more things I am doing. Probably for a while. Yes, there will be a head…haven’t figured that out yet.

Still horrified by the stupid shit my government is doing. Everything they do hurts almost everyone but rich white boys.

I’m amused that they’re butthurt about Tesla protests, but not about the racist/sexist protests of the Proud Boys and their ilk. Their protests where people died. I still see people claiming January 6 was Antifa. My lord, people. Read. Please. I’m just waiting for more of those pardoned assholes to commit more crimes. They’re ‘good people’, my ass. I had to shop once this month with Amazon (wedding registry…no way I could deal with it otherwise)…but I’ve been avoiding any brand with MAGA ties. I can’t say it’s easy. My local quilt store. Target. Staples. Honestly, I just don’t buy things that normally I would buy. I guess that’s another way of saving.

I spent 7 hours on Saturday doing my taxes. I wish I could say I’ll be better this year and document things as they happen, but I know I won’t. After doing all of it, I remember what the notes meant that I took last year. Maybe I’ll be proactive this year and set it up properly for next year. Maybe. Maybe not. Hopefully.

I’m with you, spoon. Got your back.

The Man took this picture of his three cats all in the same place and not moving (a miracle that)…

Luna, Nova, and Bowie. He’s a big boy. Almost a year old now. Still cross-eyed.

OK. School. Punnett square project. It’s Eid, so a bunch of kids will be absent (end of Ramadan). Pro: they will be eating normally again. Con: I’ll have to get them all caught up tomorrow or Wednesday. Pain in the butt, but can’t stop teaching right now. Too close to the end of the year and testing. Then staff meeting, possibly another meeting, then hopefully clay. We’ll see. I need to start going to the gym again…so I’m trying to save Tuesday for that. Progress on the quilt…maybe finish stitchdown. That’s the goal anyway. Set them, meet them or break them…it doesn’t matter as long as you set them.

First Figure Done

I was sure yesterday was Friday. Also Wednesday was Friday. Today is Friday. There are 6 school days until Spring Break. My house has reached that state where everything needs cleaning and reorganizing and pitching and I need a new bookcase. Don’t tell my kid…he’ll tell me to get rid of books, which is harder than getting a new bookcase. He’s probably right, but…all is not right with the world if there are no books.

All is not right with the world anyway, but that’s another story. Teaching stuff is going OK, because it’s Punnett squares and they’re not super hard and they’re kinda fun. I finally finished grading all the packets from the last unit and almost finished the last academic assignment, so work is only feeling slightly overwhelming (oh, give it time…I’m sure it’ll ramp back up) instead of overwhelmingly overwhelming. And I’ve made progress on the quilt! That has to be done in like three weeks and I’m gone one of those. Uh huh.

Tomorrow is ironing and taxes. Probably not in that order. The good ironing…not that crazy shit where you make your clothes look nice. Fuck that.

This kind of ironing…

Above was Wednesday night…below is last night…

I finished the first figure and made it through the first 200 pieces. 460 to go. Hoping to do about 100 tonight on the second figure, then finish tomorrow. Knock on wood. Taxes are gonna take a solid chunk of time. Unfortunately. I wish I could be more organized during the year so this wouldn’t be such a pain in the ass, but I’m not. I guess I choose to sacrifice four hours on a Saturday rather than bits and pieces all year. Not entirely logical.

I needed this last year around this time…

I still do.

OK, ceramics after school today too. I do need to set up for Monday, which has me filling a bunch of paper bags with pink and blue slips of paper. Like you do. I’m still doing some direct instruction on Punnett squares today, and then they have to finish digital things that help them understand, but some of them are total assholes about. So many will watch a video and refuse to put headphones on to hear the content, and then get an absolutely shitty grade on the assignment…yelling out “Is it academic?”…like why would you watching a video that has the answers in it and then giving me those answers be academic? I have officially reached the irritable stage of teaching. It’s fine. And I will hopefully get a chunk of the academic stuff graded next week. Hopefully. I’m not taking the rest with me. It’s tempting, because I like to get it over with. I’m more likely to do work at the beginning of break than at the end. Ah well. Whatever. Seriously whatever. I think I have to cook tonight too. Ugh. It’s fine. It’ll be fine. I’ll listen to my book. Or watch ceramics videos. Both are fine.

March. It’s almost over. Weird. Super fast for one of the longest months.

Fly By…

Some weeks just fly by and you realize you didn’t get anything done. Some flow sticky like molasses, and guess what, you still realize you didn’t get anything done. This was a fast week, but I’m trying to get real progress on this quilt and I feel like I’m behind. I wanted to finish ironing to fabric over the weekend, and I didn’t get there until last night (4 nights beyond the prediction). That said, I know why…it’s got a lot of complicated details that take longer to pick fabrics for…I have to think harder about a smaller set of fabrics than normal.

Wednesday night’s ironing…

So close, yet not there yet. I got most of the 500s done. The 600s were fast…that was last night.

There’s not actually a lot of color variety in this piece compared to some. This doesn’t really show what it will look like though. It might have a lot of the colors on the right and just a few of each of the others. Here’s just the fabrics, which I will count eventually because it’s one of the weird things I keep track of…

I do like to put them in order colorwise. And then here’s the box I’ll start cutting out tonight…

It took 12 1/2 hours to pick fabrics for about 700 pieces. That’s a lot. I don’t know how long they will take to cut out, but usually less than an hour per 100 pieces. So 7 hours…early next week, if I can pull it off. Then start ironing together. That’ll take a while. I want a solid chunk of this done before I go on Spring Break. I’ve got some tight deadlines coming up. Trying to stay on task. Ha! Day job plus being minorly ill is not helping. Field trip today to the Midway Museum (big aircraft carrier). Lots of walking and stairs. My knees are thrilled.

I haven’t been buying stuff lately…probably a good thing.

I owe kids food though and I keep flailing on buying more. The Ramadan kids don’t want food, which complicates things. I’ve got a reward thing I ordered over a week ago, but it’s not Amazon, because I’m trying to stay off Amazon, and it’s taking forever to get here. Need to find another option locally. Harder to do.

This is absolutely me…

Yesterday, I was putting stuff in the composter and heard a bird song I’d never heard before; turns out it’s a bird that is considered rare in my area, according to the Merlin app. Intriguing.

Kitten is still here. Scrawny and squawky, has to be carried to the food bowl and litter tray.

Still happy to be around though. And I’m happy to have her.

Simba got stuck with me last night instead of his preferred bed partner, the boychild.

I had my meditation wind down running and I forgot that this one has yipping foxes in it and he lost his mind. Then there was something on the roof (probably raccoon) and he lost his mind for that. There was something else at 5:30 this morning. I did not sleep well. He looks traumatized.

OK. Today is gonna be different, interesting, possibly painful. Behaviors at school are nuts at the moment. Plus the field trip, then coming back and having two periods of kids to deal with. I’m hoping to put on a movie and grade through it while they behave appropriately. We’ll see how that goes. Then I’m hoping to have the energy to go to ceramics and maybe finish underglazing that beast. The Man is trying to get me to do a long early hike tomorrow and I’m thinking I don’t have that in me, but we’ll see. This low-level cold thing is not great. I feel like rest is kind of important. Anyway, it’s all up in the air for now…

Coloring…

Some days are nice and easy at school…and home; some aren’t. It’s the same for all of us, I’m sure. Monday was difficult because I needed them to turn stuff in; yesterday was easy peasy because we colored and listened to music (it was slightly more complicated than that, but not much). There are times when I wonder why we can’t just color and listen to music every day, but I know I’m supposed to be a teacher and not just an SEL monitor, so we go on to science and reading and writing. That’ll be today. But I can hear (and feel) their need to just sit there and zone out while filling stuff in. It’s hard. Harder because the other big local school district is going on Spring Break next week and we still have 2 1/2 weeks to go. There’s so much I need to get done before then too, both in school and at home. I just want to go to the studio and make things and not think about school too, but that’s not an option right now. That said, I did a lot of art yesterday, which makes up for how little I did on Monday.

Yes, I’m still ironing. Yes, I wanted to be done. Yes, I’m frustrated because I’m not…

I did the lungs and a heart. Might have done something else. Can’t really tell. Also, this is kinda like coloring, so that’s why I like it.

Then last night, I made it through the complicated butterfly etc…

So I finished all of the stuff on the flesh through the 400s except for one flower, so I have about 15 pieces in the 400s, another 10 in the 500s, and then most of the 600s. I think it’s probably less than 150 pieces, which is an hour or two. Hopefully tonight? Maybe. I’m at almost 10 hours for just under 700 pieces. It’s a complicated quilt, though, with lots of discrete details, so that takes longer. Anyway. I’m almost done. However you look at it.

I made it to ceramics last night and worked on underglazing the waves and the bones…took me over an hour just to do that.

I’m getting there. Probably another hour or two before it can go in the glaze fire. Then I can keep going on the second level. Hope they fit together. Which they might not. Fun times.

So I am finding time for art. Demanding it. School pays. The house is a mess. What’s new? It’s always like this in March.

The girlchild tried to FaceTime me when I was at the ceramics studio…there were other people there, so I didn’t pick up.

It’s OK; I called her back later. I have a friend who is always adamant that her kids don’t talk to her like that, but this actually made me laugh, especially because the video had no sound and she was bitching me out for not answering. If no one else had been in the studio, I would have, but it’s rude otherwise. Some people need to be told that.

I love that last line. From the book I’m reading.

OK. Today is genetic traits. Kids get to look at each other and figure out their traits. Fun times. They love it when it’s all about themselves. Pilates after school. Still rocking a low-level almost cold. Not sure what it going on with that, but I don’t have the time or energy for a full-blown cold, so it’s fine. Then I get to iron stuff after all that. Probably need to make dinner too. Ugh. OK. Fine.

Ride It Out…

Ah yes, finally typing this on a computer. Not everything is fixed and back to normal, but I am no longer fighting a 10-year-old computer that is slowly (very slowly, because it’s the only speed it had) dying. Yes, it’s taken like three weeks to get functional again. There are some things that I just can’t easily do on a phone or an aging iPad (also needs replacing this year). The boychild was a massive help, although in the end, we didn’t use the backup service I’ve been paying for for years…so fun that.

This weekend was another in a series where I don’t get 1/10th of the stuff done that I wanted or needed to. It’s just my life, maybe? Hard to say. I did some grading and some school stuff but mostly didn’t. I spent time in Home Depot (must be spring) and digging a hole that probably isn’t big enough. I finished one book (actually two) and started another. I made some art and went for a hike. I don’t feel ready for the week. I’m fighting a cold…I’m hoping I can hold the worst of it off, because we have a field trip this week. I’ve drunk a lot of Vitamin C this weekend in hopes it would boost things enough to kick this thing that’s trying to sneak in. Who knows.

OK, art…I ironed a lot this weekend…

I did like three sessions on Saturday…there’s the setup with one computer backing up, one being set up, and the one I was actually watching stuff on…

Too many computers…there’s the beginning of the flesh fabrics, which I spent most of Saturday ironing.

Got through the whole pile…they were interspersed between the 200s all the way to the 600s, so I officially have no clue how far I am in the ironing. But I got the actual flesh done and then still need to do all the eyeballs and the heart and lungs and all those fussy bits that aren’t flesh colored.

I really wanted to be done Sunday, but that didn’t happen. It took too long to do everything on Sunday. I don’t even think I got an hour in, unfortunately.

More of the bits and pieces though. I suspect I’ve got another three nights before I’m done. We’ll see. I have a ton of schoolwork to do as well. As always.

I’m underglazing the base in clay…with Bart’s help (not really…he was wet from outdoors and tried to headbutt the part of this that keeps breaking off).

It just takes forever to do this stuff.

Coral is done, some other bits and pieces in that color range. I’ll be back at it tonight.

We hiked Saturday…got the full 3 miles in this time.

With two coyote sightings…

Broad daylight…

Went out for dinner…

I did draw…just totally forgot to photograph it.

Ah, falcon payments. This lasagna thing was from the book for The Electric State, which was very different than what the movie seems to be.

But lasagna…

The next puppy I get…

This is maybe too real and also applies to my quilts…

Lastly, in cleaning up hard drives all over my office, found this from around 2001 (not 1994 like the time stamp says)…

One of the best pictures I’ve ever taken of the kids.

OK. School today…with an impending incipient cold. And still tired. But hopefully a chill day. Turn the things in, y’all. Then staff meeting (ugh but short) and ceramics (yay). Then home, grading, and ironing (more yay!). Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate (most of whom aren’t Irish in the slightest). And may the government fall into a deep hole it can’t get out of (we’re close, but not quite). I checked my retirement funds over the weekend. Thanks to the billionaires in charge, I’m now down a significant amount…well, we’re gonna ride it out y’all…just let me retire when I need to.

No Power

Power’s out. Some car crashed into something. The road sounds closed; I don’t hear cars down there. It’s cold…and I need tea, so I’ll be leaving for school soon.

I did finally get the studio cleaned up…

It took two nights…it was a lot. And I started ironing last night.

School was a little rough, but it’s been like that for days. Kids are fighting; not sure why. Hard to get them to work. I’m feeling underwater on getting stuff done. I guess that’s nothing new.

Dumbassery abounds. Ok I think it might be bright enough in the bathroom for me to take my meds and get out of here to school, where it will be warmer and I can make tea. I’m making a lot of art this weekend…yes, I need to grade too, but art is large on the agenda. That and getting my computer to work. Sigh.

Hidden Away…

How is it not Thursday yet? I don’t get it. It feels like Friday and a half. I even looked up the date of the next full moon, trying to find an explanation for the crazy we saw yesterday, and nope, it’s not for another two weeks. Ugh. Today feels long and difficult already. Meeting this morning; I was at the school board meeting yesterday (with 6 people, not counting the actual school board) until after 6 PM. I had to speak briefly about the sex ed committee, and then I listened to the rest, grading the whole time. Then came home and managed to cook dinner and eat it.

The quilt progress is slow. This thing is big and complicated. I finished the stitchdown on Monday night; it took just under 6 hours to do. I love seeing the back of the quilt top at this stage…

And then it gets hidden away inside the quilt sandwich forever. I do actually check for things I’ve missed at this stage too. Although I don’t catch them all sometimes until I’m quilting.

Then last night, exhausted, I found and pieced fabric for the background, cut the batting, washed it, and tossed it into the dryer before I went to bed. Tonight, I’ll sandwich it all.

I’ll have to clean the entryway floor first. So clean floor, iron top, sandwich it, pin it all together. It’s moving, but slowly. Somewhat like me. At least mentally. I managed to cobble together something I worked on in 2023 for the filler day we need at school tomorrow, but we lose our prep periods today for the walk-to-the-high-school thing. Take the kids over there (it’s not super far), have them do the rah rah thing, see all the sports and clubs, talk to people, then try to corral them all back to walk back before 3rd period. My biggest concerns? Well, a couple of kids, but whatever. Also I usually eat and pee during 2nd period. This is important! We’ll figure it out. I had a packet of nuts at school for such emergencies, but I needed it last night at the board meeting. I maybe need to stop at a grocery store on the way to school…if I have time before the meeting.

In other school news, this was deposited on my notebook yesterday. So I recycled it. Ah no, it was the behavior contract of a student who was having a day…and continued having a day. As you can imagine.

It was rough for the rest of us as well.

So bee/owl box update. I noticed the bees were ‘gone’ the other day/night, so I pulled the box off, and then had the boychild help me move it about 15 feet away, with the plan to install the new one the next evening. I figured they’d left to find a better place to hang out. Went to install the new one and saw this.

Um. Guys. It’s over there. So yeah. Not sure what this was about. Where were they the night before? Anyway. So. When bees swarm on an unprotected spot, they usually leave within 48 hours, so we waited. We also cleaned out the old owl box and found what looked like possibly 1 or 2 baby skeletons (matches up to the two separate babies I heard last year), and what looked like part of an adult. Bigger feet, adult feathers still attached to part of a wing.

Baby on the left? Maybe? Barn owls aren’t actually that big. I know it just looks like a pile of feathers and stuff, and now that carcass on the left has been dragged off by something last night. I knew that would probably happen. There were still some bees in the owl box, but not much honeycomb…not enough for them to have killed the barn owl (they can do that apparently) back in spring, when I last heard the second baby, and then built a hive. It’s all very strange. ANYWAY. Last night, the bees were gone off the pole, so we’re gonna try again. I have a bee repellant spray that is supposed to be arriving today that I’m going to spray on the pole and around the owl box. It’s natural, not poisonous. I was trying to get a natural bee repellant I could put inside the box, but it’s not an easy thing to find in California. It’s late for mama to be building a nest, but I can hope.

This is the 2nd tree in the Sue Spargo Rooted quilt. I started the embroidery during book club on Monday.

Actually, no, I started the embroidery in my Allied Craftsmen meeting on Saturday. Embroidery is not fast, y’all. But it’s relaxing.

Speaking of relaxing…

Bowie at 8 months (9?) is almost as big as his aunties. He is still being a teenager, harassing everyone in the house. My old lady cat does not like him and lets him know that…and she has a new scratch on her nose that is probably from him. He’s very curious and wants to know about her, but she’s not having it. I’m carrying her out of her cubby in my room to the food and the litter tray, but she does come out without me sometimes.

OK, besides the walking tour of the local high school, the rest of the day, we’re reading about light rays and writing about them. Fun times. Then pilates and hopefully installing the owl box. Then sandwich and pinbaste the damn quilt. After washing the floor. It’s a lot.