Helen Mathey-Horn's Blog, page 7

2-fer Day

Today is also the first Wednesday of the Month so a day for writers.

November 3 question – What’s harder to do, coming up with your book title or writing the blurb?
The awesome co-hosts for the November 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Victoria Marie Lees, Joylene Nowell Butler, Erika Beebe, and Lee Lowery!

I find writing the blurb harder. The title usually takes care of itself, or so it seems. But condensing the story line into something ‘intriguing’ without giving away too much. Arggh.

Short and sweet as I’m also doing Wovember about sheep and wool.

Click to read others.

Wovember 3 – Natural

On the 1st I mentioned some of the wonderful qualities of wool. It is a Natural fiber (like cotton, ramie, silk). Yes, there might be chemicals involved in processing such as dyes and mordants, but you can also get many beautiful colors without dyes from the wide variety of whites, beiges, browns and even light reds that wool can come in.

For red there is the California Red which starts out red, but ends up a golden and then a European one that amuses me the Coburg Fuchsschaf (Coburg fox sheep) Breeds of Livestock – Coburger Fuchsschaf Sheep — Breeds of Livestock, Department of Animal Science (okstate.edu).

I had a chance to see some of these when I lived in Eastern Bavaria. They were at an open air museum. I also saw a California Red up close at a home town fair in Illinois.

Okay so not fire engine red, but if you are someone working with natural materials then fire engine red is not likely to be something you are trying to achieve.

One thing about natural wool colors and natural dyes, they all look good together. They ‘blend’. No one color looks garish.

So that’s what I have for natural.

Wovember 2 – Sheep

“For we like sheep…”

“…have gone astray…”

Sorry, but my husband swears that first half of the phrase from the song from Handel’s Messiah is my theme song.

There was a time when I had hopes (very small) of having a sheep of my own, but reality is, there are plenty of folks out there that know what they are doing with their animals and are more than happy to sell me fleece and I have no space for an animal that size, even the Ouessant sheep.

If you are looking for a rabbit hole to fall down regarding breeds of sheep (and other livestock) there is none finer than Oklahoma State University‘s.

So spend a few minutes acquainting yourself with the various fiber and meat breeds of sheep from around the world. It is ‘mind boggling’.

Wovember 1

There are several things that are bouncing around my mind today.

1st is – Happy Birthday to my honey. Glad we met and I enjoy/love each day with you. (You can love someone but not enjoy being with them. I enjoy you and love you.)

2nd – The Great British Bakeoff Show was brought to my attention again this morning. And the blogger blamed her desire to bake all things (my words) on that show. I blame the weather, the declining daylight, the nesting instinct that comes with the fall. Pack on those carbs for winter, you might not get more later. But back to GBBS – this has to be one of the best things British telly created and got us all hooked on. (Also Midsommer Murders, but back to Wovember)

3rd – WOOOOOOOL/fiber. As I’ve mentioned in the past I can’t get enough of fiber (not the ‘eat it, it’s good for your system’ fiber) Wovember celebrates all things wooly and to be clear…

WHY WOOL – There is not a better natural fiber in the world! It keeps you warm in the cold even if it is wet. It can keep you cool (those Arab robes are wool) in the heat. It takes colors wonderfully. It is renewable (ask the sheep that grow it year round). It is environmentally sound (Even ‘waste’ wool from around the backend can be used to mulch gardens if you wish.) Spinning wool is one of the oldest known activities of mankind (probably should say womankind) with whorls (the weights on a drop spindle) being identified at locations of human habitation even if the spindle itself is gone. Those that say it is ‘scratchy’ probably have been exposed to wool that has had ‘manufacturing’ done to it, some of those processes leave residues and can make the wool ‘scratchy’ and provoke allergies. Natural wool can be ‘wiry’ but if you select the right breed and parts of the fleece most wool is very comfortable. Example would be churro a navaho breed that has a wiry outer hair good for ropes, but an inner soft fiber good for baby soft clothing. And as for cleaning…you just don’t want to ‘agitate’ or ‘shock’ it and the wool will clean easily. In fact it is simplest to put it in cool water that has a touch of dish soap to soak. Drain (without ‘swishing’ or ‘squeezing’), put it in clean water of the same temperature to rinse. Do the rinse steps until your water looks clear. Lay on a bath towel, roll it up, step on it to ‘squeeze’ the water out, unroll, lay on a flat, airy surface to dry…preferably not in the sun. Okay, so that isn’t a throw it in the washer/dry and forget about it process, but it also doesn’t have to be done after each wearing.

And now that the season’s turning has got me in the mood, I’m off to bake, or spin, or knit, or …

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Addictions

We all have those things we can’t resist for what ever reasons. Mine are entwined with color and fiber. It could be a fabric store, an art store or just yarn. I have SABLE…stash acquisition beyond life expectancy.
Sorry kids, you’ll be giving yarn to charities or someone after I’m gone. I’m doing my best to knit or crochet it down but all those people out there keep coming up with new colors and yarns.

And before you say it…putting myself on a ‘yarn diet’ will not be enough to catch up and believe me I’m trying.

Then…

Today…

I moved a bag (of yarn, did you really need to ask?) and I found a small bag that was lumpy and when I looked inside…yep 1/2 a sock and the yarn to finish it and make the second one. Well that got pulled to the surface and will get in line behind the pair of socks I have by my tv chair that are further along.

This means I have 3 different pairs of socks going at once…at least I think it is only 3 pairs. I knew I was getting low in double pointed needles when I cast on the most recent pair of socks. I didn’t realize it meant (I should have) that the other double points weren’t lost, they were ‘occupied’. So now to finish up and free up some needles so…I can knit more socks!

I like knitting socks and I’m pretty fast at knitting, but not as fast as I can click buttons on my keyboard and move my mouse to order more pretty stuff on line. And if I find any more started, half finished projects, well…sigh.

‘Come From Away’

Went to the performance of this play/musical last night with son and daughter-in-law. Clever, funny, and moving.

What happened with all those people on flights bound for New York and the East Coast on 9-11 after the two flights hit the towers? Where did they end up?

The Canadian community of Gander, Newfoundland took them in. An Island in the middle of nowhere.

From a bus strike in the middle of union negotiations halted so there would be transportation from the landed planes, people setting up and cooking, providing supplies, to the SPCA lady taking care of getting the animals off the planes and cared for.

The best of people.

Dang It!

I’ve done it again. Missed the first Wednesday of the month for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group.

October 6 question – In your writing, where do you draw the line, with either topics or language?

I really like this topic so I’m pissed that I missed the date!

Whew now that we’ve got that out of the way.

Language in writing. If it doesn’t fit the character then it should go. How blue can you go? For me probably not very. Goddamnsonofabitch is probably my favorite run-on word if I am really mad, which isn’t often. I just like the way it trips off the tongue. But I’ve never had a character say it. Most of my characters haven’t resorted to ‘language’.

However in sci-fi/fantasy I did create a word or two to give the feeling of cursing that weren’t (of course) real words. That was kind of fun, and strangely right now I cannot think of a one of them. lol

Topics – that’s harder – If it upsets me emotionally, I’m not sure it is ever going to get onto a page. I’ve written a couple of scenes in books that were violent, but there was redemption in the end. I think there has to be redemption or justice or else it will bother me too much. So I guess that is to say the topic has to fit the story…not be spurious.

So late as usual. Thanks.

Time to Move

Before the weather decides to go south, it is time to bring in my orchids. This is no small undertaking as there are quite a few. Thirty-two to be exact. Well, thirty-four, but one has an ant colony that is trying to relocate as I’ve ‘flooded’ their nest to encourage it and one looks like it is diseased and I think I’ll not worry about it. The ant colony one there is hope if the ants just pick up their eggs and head off for any other place outside. I’ll keep it submerged for the day.

The routine is to lay ‘puppy pads’ on the floor as a precaution against accidental drips, place big plastic trays to catch water on top of them, next, place the two stands I have and last, pile the orchids where they best fit, after they have spent some minutes submerged in a bucket (three available) of water to hydrate and encourage any moths that had been hiding in the orchid bark mix to leave.

My son, bless his heart, came and helped me with all the moving. It was a great help. Normally my lower back is tired at the end of all the hauling. (I know, lift with the legs.)

We (okay HE) also wrestled two other large porch plants in; a pencil cactus and a Croton that the realtor (previous owner) left as a gift when we bought the house. The croton may be my longest lived houseplant! Those two are now residing in the dining room by the west windows while the orchids are in the living room south bay window.

I could try and save an asparagus fern or two…I’ll think about that. If the winter does not get too bad (like -8F last year) the asparagus ferns should be okay outside. I don’t worry about the geraniums…I never have much success as they get too leggy and it is just simpler to get fresh next spring.

Time to batten down the hatches. I’m ready for the winter…plant-wise.

3 Weeks!

How does time fly when you are doing ‘nothing much’?

I have no answer for that. However I do have pictures. (Not well staged.)

My husband took the dog to Pooches this morning and while he was gone, the ‘spiders’ came. “I see the spiders are back,” he said when he got home. I’m kind of amazed he noticed it. (Don’t we all often walk around with our heads down and don’t pay attention to our regular surroundings?)

I’ve done this each year we’ve been home in the fall. One of those things I saw on line and said, “I’ve got the perfect porch for this!” A couple of cup hooks and a ball of ‘thick’ yarn later and here we are. A neighbor down the road liked it enough to copy it one year after asking about how I did it. Nothing like a neighborhood of spiderwebs, lol.

This spider web I don’t mind. I have nothing against spiders especially web spiders, but remember all too well walking through their webs in the open fields near where I grew up. Ugh.

This also reminds me of the web builder that took advantage of a yard light my dad mounted on the house on Walnut Drive when I was a kid. The house was one floor in the front but had a walk out basement in the back and my dad put a yard light in the back peak. It was often on at night and some spider always found it a perfect spot for a home. You could see the web and spider from 2.5 floors below (on the ground) and with a light behind it was sure to attract night flying insects like juicy moths, so always a fat spider up there.

Signs of fall… spiders/webs, changing leaves and cooler temperatures.

My perennial hibiscus continues to keep flowering, and the crepe myrtles also. Golden rod in front and a mixture of things in back. And the climbing roses. Got to enjoy the color while it is present.

IWSG – How do you define Success?

The Insecure Writers Group question for September is…

How do you define success as a writer?

My flip answer is…When my tax person doesn’t write my expenses/income from writing down in the ‘Hobby’ category on my IRS returns.

I am a writer because I write, but successful?

Yes, I have books ‘published’. You can find my books on Amazon.

Am I making a living at it? Nope.

But I’m happy they are out there instead of still in my head, or on my computer.

There are more.