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My very favourite personalized license plate said BOT NEW and was on a very old car being driven by a very old man who knew I was staring at him and smiling hugely but who stared straight ahead as he drove past.
My second favourite was a flashy car driven by a flashy lady with a plate that said NOT HIS.
This one intrigued me because it took me awhile to figure it out.
At my age - and now with two grandsons - you'd think it would have been immediately apparent.
I'm not sure why crabs - and, by association, Cancer-born individuals - seem to have a reputation for being a bit crabby; most mid-June to mid-July people I know may be a bit moody at times but mostly we are cheerful and know how to have fun.
I am wondering if a Cancer editor let this typo pass knowing we would likely see the humour of it. (click on text to enlarge)
2 : 10 p.m. Two tank tops arrive home from half price day at a thrift shop.
2 : 15 - 2 : 45 p.m. Washed in hot soapy water, rinsed in vinegar water, hung in sun and wind to dry.
Each tank top was sewn along the bottom.
2 : 45 - 2 : 51.42
2 : 56 - 3 : 02.42
Presto - mesh carry bags with l) a blanket and book for the park or beach r) shopping
People who have seen this think it is quite ingenious as I did when I found it at a church thrift store, looking like this.
When I opened it up I realized it was two layers of fabric neatly stitched together, slots included. It had a name along one edge so I inquired of the ladies at the shop if they knew who B M Evans was but they did not so I could not discover the origin of the design.
Here is what it looks like partly together; as you can see the two flanges fit through the slots.
At home I had to make one using a flyer that had come in the mail.....and then one using some clear heavy-duty plastic; I put felted chestnuts in it.
The possibilities are endless. I admire and appreciate the work that went into the double-layered fabric one and may duplicate this, likely in felted material. I also like simple. Very much.
Here is the pattern: I hope you can copy it and give it a try. And let me know what you create.
(That rock on the right is a porphyry one. I checked the dictionary for spelling (I had it wrong) and the description is "a rock containing crystals of minerals". It's also known as "flower rock" and finding one is exciting; this one was on the beach.)
This is with a stiff screen-like material - any idea what it is used for? - I think it is used for crafting; I got it at a garage sale; they didn't know (it is quite surprising how many things I come across at garage sales which the sellers seem to not know about; makes one wonder. I suspect - and actually have been told this! - that they got the item at a garage sale from someone who didn't know and who likely ....etc. )
The material is not easy to work with - I got a few scratches and cuts - used kitchen scissors to cut it - and the result is quite nice (those are peach pits inside; I saved them because they are so beautiful in their colour and their texture) but I would have to think of a terrific use for such a package before I would try it again.
The thought of using it as a card with a message inside prompted this one from corrugated paper and it worked just fine. It squishes flat so can easily go into an envelope but could also contain some gift like a scarf or dishcloth or ??????
My favourite is the one I initially made from clear plastic.
I've put dried leaves and flowers and sticks collected from the scented plants in the garden over several seasons into it, paper- punched two holes through the flanges, strung some string through for hanging and it will come into the house now that the photo session is over to be hung where it will release the fragrance. I will likely poke some holes into it with a needle to allow for more scent.
Thank you B M Evans !
(re-post from May 27 2012)
Finding this interesting pencil sharpener at a church sale yesterday reminded me how much I like writing in longhand because it did such a good job of sharpening a 'tool of the trade' - the pencil.
Look at that nifty point!
The machine-looking object was on the stationery table and I thought it might be a pencil sharpener - unlike any I had seen before - and one of the men sellers confirmed this; he said you twirled the pencil around.
I googled and found out it was meant for drafting pencils; it works just fine on my ordinary ones; I like to think of its intended use and imagine where it has travelled over the years. I opened it up and there were lead shavings but no wood shavings; wonder how it will deal with my kind of pencils.
It is very satisfying to use; the sharpener is heavy and steady and the circular motion gets to the point; you don't turn the pencil in the cylinder - you hold it and turn it around the whole base! Simple. Somehow reassuring.
It was while writing notes for this blog with the well-sharpened pencil that I got to thinking about longhand writing and how a lead can be too thin and break or too thick and not give a fine enough point for writing; this sharpener is perfect.
Writing by hand is constantly changing; it invites and encourages and fosters variation in how the pencil is held, at what nearness to the lead, at what angle, with what pressure.
I can look at what I have written and tell what mood I was in when I wrote it.
I can vary mood by playing with the writing - extend the length of the words, lengthen or shorten the letters, slant this way, now that way, grip the pencil tightly, let it sit lightly in my fingers and follow it more than direct it.
Many letters, journals, poems, stories, books, plays, columns, articles, reviews, memories, conversations, recipes, lunch box notes, lists (!), post-its, thoughts, ideas, ponderings .... have been written over the years and there is a rhythm that happens between mind and hand. A flow.
It feels as if this pencil sharpener is honouring the last stage, through the lead, before the words attach themselves, secure themselves to the page -the paper... the fibre ... Ah, the fibre - but that's another story.
Never having knit with porcupine quills as the needles before I am very glad for the experience.
I didn't know they were porcupine quills; the lady at the church sale thought they were tortoise shell hair ornaments; I liked how they were sharp enough to go through the fabric of my blanket coat and would be handy as interesting closures either on their own or through shawl/scarf pins.
It was only when I got home did I take a closer look at them and snap off a photo to Stephanie at KBN with a "porcupine quills?" query to which she replied, "Yes!"
Oh, yippee! And my initial burst of delight at this intriguing identification was more than justified when I wondered what they would be like to knit with and did so.
It is slow knitting, thoughtful knitting, paying-attention knitting. The quills feel warm in my hands. The synesthesia part of me responds to the bands of light, the bands of dark under my fingers. The sharp points demand more respect than the blunter ends. There is the awareness that these were once attached to a creature who may well still be alive.
It is most interesting.
On the early morning nature walk in Uplands Park on Sunday there were birds, insects, trees, marine animals, flowers, islands, lichens, more birds, berries etc!
It is a most worthwhile offering of the Friends of Uplands Park.
This display of art was unexpected and amazing.
It may have been inukshuk inspired. It may have been stone sculpture with different roots.
I wonder who did it. How many people were involved. How long it took. If it is still there.
We paused and looked and commented and that was wonderful; something was exchanged between artist(s) and viewers.
If I decide I can find the spot again, I will go back and stare.
Sunday morning early at Cattle Point (Victoria BC). A young bald eagle. Sitting on the fence. Looking around. At two oyster catchers that flew by. At mere humans who were strolling by and stopped to look at this bird. It was there for hours.
I googled just now and found this:
Despite this decline, some argue that handwriting is still an important skill to have. For one, it engages different parts of our brain than typing. When we write by hand, we have to think about the formation of each letter and the words we are writing, which requires more mental effort than typing. Research suggests that handwriting can help with memory retention and creativity.