That's Gneiss! #116 ~ Tales of discovery and adventure!
Also - false lake balls, save the bees, and an upcoming experiment
Friends, it has already been an exciting weekend! And there’s still an extra day to come. Hooray for an extra day off.
Yesterday was packed with discovery and adventure.
I noticed that the precipitation gauge on my weather station wasn’t working, so I climbed a ladder to take a look and unstick it. This happens from time to time, no big deal. While I was out there, I noticed some bright orange spots on our shed.
I took a closer look…
We are the proud caretakers of a tiny fungus farm! There are least four varieties.
Awwwww… little witches butter!
Tiny gills! So cute.
A conk? I hope it gets bigger! Kind of hard to tell for sure what it is.
And this stuff - just weird. I like it though! I look forward to watching the ebb and flow of fungus on the shed siding. Hang in there little fellas!
That was exciting, but it was just the beginning of a full day. Next up I needed to print something for Michael.
There’s only one solution for that - to the LIBRARY!
Good to know they’ve got coffee, hopefully they have books and computers too.
We’ve been here almost a year, and FINALLY I visited and signed up for my very own card. I haven’t needed a new library card since 1990! And yes, I still have the original card and number I got then.
The very friendly woman at the desk helped me get my card. I even got to choose which design I wanted, so I chose colorful over card catalog drawers.
Once that was squared away, it was on to “print something from my email” which is one of the most common uses of library computers, beyond printing out coupons for casino buffets. Here I am, getting ready to log in. I didn’t even have to type my number in - there was a little scanner. At this rate I’ll never memorize my new card number.
This next shot is for all of my readers who work at a library. If you are wondering, the reservation software is Envisionware. No doubt you are puzzled like I am by the directions to “write down the following information.” Which information? All of it?
I took a big risk and didn’t write anything down.
You’ll be glad to know it didn’t take me 600 minutes to get into my email and print what I needed, though I appreciate that the time was there if I had needed it. Thankfully I have a bit of experience with such things and was able to figure it out. I did have one of the librarians walk me through the print release process, as it was a bit tricky for a first-timer.
Once I had my printout in hand, I wandered around a bit to see what’s what. The library had a traditional quiet feel to it, at least for a Saturday morning. I was mostly on the second floor, far from the children’s area. That may have had something to do with it.
I found the quantum shelf!
I didn’t check anything out on this trip, but I spied some interesting things in the collection that I’m pretty sure we don’t have where I work. If I do go back, I’ll have to be careful as they do have overdue fines. Our library system hasn’t had them for decades, and the trend in libraries is to stop using fines. Fines are punitive and most harmful to the folks who need libraries the most.
I suppose you’re wondering what happened with the snow (or not). We got enough to disrupt but not cancel work. It was exhausting - waiting every day to see if we would be open (late) and what time we would close (early), obsessively watching the weather, and driving back and forth to work. I am very happy to have the Durango with 4WD.
I am even happier that the snow is gone, though it was pretty. I will not be sorry if this is the only snow we see this year. Today the false spring returned, with temps in the 50’s.
It could be worse, we could all be in Newfoundland.
Yikes.
On a completely different note, I’m going to try something new with the newsletter. I’ve been spending the last few days helping a friend set up his own newsletter (subscribe, you should). We’ve been going back and forth about the various features offered with this platform.
Commenting on posts is allowed for paid subscribers. Obviously, you are not a paid subscriber and I have no intention of ever charging money for this newsletter. You can reply to the email for each week’s newsletter and I receive that in my email - which is a great way to say hello and/or answer the weekly question (hint hint).
I do have an option to create a discussion thread post - on the surface it would look the same to you, arriving in your email as usual. The difference is you can comment on the post and interact with others. I can make the thread public which allows anyone to post at any time.
I want to see how it works, so this week I will be sending out a separate post to you in a couple of days. Please pop in and say hello. I’m interested to know how it works from your end.
Don’t worry! The Sunday edition of That’s Gneiss will continue unabated.
And this one is done.
Cheers!
Tidbits
Worth your time: What the Trans Mountain pipeline will mean for B.C.’s coast (it isn’t good)
Meanwhile in Iceland - False Lake Balls
Practicing your hand lettering? Stumped for ideas? Check out WTF Should I Letter (salty language ahead)
This is not good, National Archives - your job is to preserve, not alter history
Making: a lot! I carved a stamp, and yesterday I watercolored some pages in a sketch book to get them ready for some collage work. I also did another pedal base for Michael using my alcohol inks.
Recently eaten: We finally got back to Sol Food for dinner, and it was great! The fried brussel sprouts appetizer was delicious, as was the chicken fajita bowl I had. Michael enjoyed his Lechon.
Reading: I’ve got a couple things on the go right now. The Bauhaus Ideal Then and Now: An Illustrated Guide to Modern Design and A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick. Early in the week I read two seemingly similar books - The Little Book of Forest Bathing and Forest Bathing Retreat. They both had pretty photos and nice quotes about trees and nature, but beyond that they were different. The “little book” was an obvious attempt by the publisher to jump on a popular bandwagon and make some quick cash. The “retreat” book was thoughtfully put together by the author, a poet. She included poetry as well as quotes, and the content was more substantial. Both books failed to include citations for their health claims about forest bathing. Tsk tsk.
Video of the Week
This week I learned of Flo and Joan - good for laughs which we all need right now!
VERY salty language ahead (really salty, you are warned). I think we can still relate to this song, 2016 was a watershed year for crap and seems to have started the downward slide with vengeance.
Prefer just a dash of salt? Love bees? This one is for you.
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question (or to just say hello), hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared next week - always anonymous. Don’t be shy!
If you could bring back any fashion trend what would it be?
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Last week I asked you to share a favorite video tutorial.
From Let’s Make Art (all videos and outlines available for free).
I found this tutorial to be very helpful!
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