That's Gneiss! #144 ~ Weekends are different than weekdays
Also: Botanists on YouTube and an anniversary
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Hello friends!
It’s another beautiful summer weekend here in the Pacific Northwest. Almost nice enough to forget there’s a pandemic raging beyond our doors.
Yesterday Michael and I celebrated our 12th anniversary. We aren’t the type to make a big hullaballoo over things, but if there wasn’t a pandemic we would have probably gone out for a nice dinner somewhere. Instead we’ve had a relaxing time at home doing weekend things, which are not quite the same as weekday things and that is how we tell the difference between the two.
We dyed my hair again yesterday - the 4th time since this pandemic thing started. A slightly darker purple this time.
I spent the morning chopping down blackberries that were growing between the fence and the shed in back. They are devils and had started to make their way through the fence and into the alley. I stopped them before they got too bad! The was full of them when I started on it last weekend. At least I won’t have to do it again until next year!
Rowland pretended we were camping, and found a weird spot to lay down in next to the trailer. I sat in there for a while, and when a car drove down the alley it was just like camping when people drive too fast through the campground…
Many people have suggested we go camping for real, but we are not interested in the hassle of getting to and from the campground or dealing with the people there. EVERYBODY wants to get out and do something in this sunny summer weather, and there’s an attitude that if you’re outdoors your safe from the virus. This is not completely true, especially if you act like an idiot which so many people seem to do. Also - shared campground bathrooms. These can be okay or really gross in the best of times, but now? NO. We are sad to not be sitting in the woods, but would rather not participate in the catching or spreading of disease this year. Home is perfectly fine.
Of course I have the dog walks and interesting things to see in our neighborhood. This morning’s walk was the type I would file under “weird people out and about” and “slightly sketchy.” Our destination was the east side of I-5, which is both really pleasant and has the potential for weirdness. Today was a mix of both. At one point a scratty older SUV pulled up and parked just ahead of where we were walking. As we passed, a woman asked how to get to the northbound highway. I began to explain, then asked where she was trying to go. She had to think a bit before answering.
“Everett?”
I asked what part of Everett. More hesitation.
“City center.”
I explained she could just follow the road we were on around and up into downtown without having to get on the highway at all. She thanked me, then started telling me a tale of trying to find her brother who was in a car accident and might have had to set up a tent and she really needed to find him.
Things started to sound scammy. I wished her luck and that I hoped her brother was okay, then walked on with Rowland.
Not too far along I noticed this truck with a flag on the back. These are a much rarer sight in Everett than they were in Oak Harbor!
The guy came out and stood next to the truck. We passed by, then crossed to that side of the street at the corner to head back towards home. Fortunately we were not very close to the guy, who started hacking and coughing pretty badly.
Get me out of here!
The rest of the walk was uneventful, and right near the end there was an exciting find.
This isn’t the first abandoned vehicle to land in that vicinity… and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Never a dull moment on the other side of the highway!
Friday night I finished the Index Card a Day challenge, also known as ICAD. It’s fun to make a small piece of art, only limited by the 3x5 inch size of the card. I have a nice stack of finished cards that will be fun to go back and look at.
I did all sorts of work - watercolors, colored pencils, rubber stamps, ink, and collage. It’s all fun, but I especially enjoyed the collage. It can be tricky to find just the right things to fit in such a small space and create something fun. Sometimes you just KNOW when you’ve found the right component, like these two women who are OBVIOUSLY the Mitchell sisters.
You just know.
I’m looking forward to making some larger collages soon. I’ve got some good stuff that’s way too big for an index card. Heh.
Wear a mask and wash your hands and stay away from people!
Tidbits
the collected ahp muses on what makes a local newspaper special
Opening schools safely? It’s a fantasy, and a heartbreaking decision to make that has no winning answers
Making: I finished the two month ICAD challenge (see above). Now, I’ll muddle around with my Sketchbox supplies. Next up - pastels, which are a bit intimidating and unlike anything I’ve tried before. I’ve really enjoyed my monthly box of art supplies and have been able to try some interesting things. I’ve also got my little ink drawing notebook underway, for those moments when I just want to space out.
Recently eaten: Michael made some excellent Philly cheesesteak sandwiches last night. The best part is the garlic mushrooms…
Reading: I wanted to read something positive about science, as we seem to be surrounded by so many who have decided it has no value. I picked up The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist by Richard P. Feynman. It’s the text of three lectures he gave at the University of Washington in 1963. Some of it is dated, but many of his points hold up well today. I also started Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You. Reading books like this are comforting right now.
Eye Candy Corner
I will continue to share the amazing artists you have shared in the Eye Candy post a few weeks ago. It’s never too late to add your favorites to the list for future newsletters. Thank P.L. and B.K. for today’s eye candy!
Since masks are all the rage right now (or should be), let’s take a look at this curated collection of face coverings. Most aren’t appropriate for daily pandemic wear, but there are some strange and wonderful works of art showcased here.
Take a bic biro pen, add ephemera like old maps, bags, or envelopes and amazing drawing skill and you get beautiful art. Click through to see more birds, as well as remarkable portrait work.
Bonus - noel_fielding
Yes - THAT Noel Fielding! Old Gregg, etc. Noel Fielding makes whimsical art. This was one of the suggested accounts when I was looking at Mark Powell’s page. Colorful and fun!
Video of the Week
Hear ye, hear ye, go forth and see the first video on Nolan’s YouTube channel.
Question of the Week
If you feel like answering the question, hit reply to this email. Answers will be shared in next week’s newsletter - anonymously. Don’t be shy! General public commenting is available too at the end of this post.
After reading about a mysterious pile of banana peels in Pandemic Life: Unsolved Mysteries, as well as more strange tales in the comments, I’d like to hear from you about the unsolved mysteries of your lives. Any strange tales from your home town, or puzzling things you see these days?
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Last week I asked what you’re reading this summer.
I have been reading fanfiction. I feel like I should be ashamed of this, but I've found that the fanfiction world is amazing and full of generous, creative, interesting people. And a lot of fanfiction is GREAT. The best place to find it is Archive of our Own (AO3), which is run by a nonprofit called The Organization for Transformative Works. Fanfiction archives have a long history of being attacked and shut down, and the works lost, so fans created their own nonprofit and their own archive of works. AO3 is an incredible piece of database engineering, even if you don't care about fanfic: things like tropes and pairings are given a controlled vocabulary so that you can just click to find them, and you can sort results by all kinds of factors. (And if you ever wondered what it would be like if, for instance, Steve Rogers was Tony Stark's soulmate, well, there you go.)
Right now I'm reading Asa Gray by Hunter Dupree, a biography of unarguably the most important 19th century botanist in North America. Asa was the poor soul who stayed at home and made sense of the hundreds of thousands of dried plant specimens that field botanists were sending back from their exciting adventures all over the continent!
i'm trying to catch up on the huge stack of books next to my bed. i admit i read mostly at night, and like to use my kindle for that because it has its own light, but being connected to the internet and a screen isn't actually that great for my concentration. reading paper books again has been good for my brain! i'm currently working through a few books, a magna my son lent me (ranma 1/2), and finishing up david sedaris' calypso. i'm also plowing through Fantastic Stories Presents the Worlds of If Super Pack #1. i love those kinds of collections, all pulpy sci-fi goodness!
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