I have been busy, although my blog's silence would indicate otherwise.
While the great acidic water fiasco of 2023 was going on, I was working on a project to present to my history nerd friends. I have a great big project arc that I'm trying to carry out over the next year+. I needed a clear goal to kick it off though, and my friend Kathy, referred to as Countess Meggie in our game, ("Countess" indicating she's been Queen once) was happy to add me to a team of champions she was putting together for a specific tournament.
Within the SCA, there are dozens of different activities to participate in, and sometimes we get together to compete. I was an "Arts and Sciences" participant. By volunteering to be one of Her Excellency's Champions, it gave me a clear, hard deadline to make good on the first leg of my project.
I'm trying to figure out how to upload the PDF documentation. (Does this link work?) It's about 25 pages long, complete with full color images, and then a 10 page appendix containing a lead safety data sheet (which I have not uploaded.)
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I brought my 6' table, but I really could have used 8. This was a little cramped; the different elements couldn't breathe.
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After that event which took up the whole day on 5/13, I swapped out all the gear in my car the morning on 5/14 and drove out to Cooper's Lake in Slippery Rock, PA. A number of years ago I had volunteered to be on a special team to make new road signs for an event that happens every year out there called Pennsic War. We got half done last August, and are on track to get the second half done this year. It was a beautiful week to camp, with only one frigid night and one rainy day. I've built a platform for the back of my CRV though, so when I heard it was going to rain, I packed out early and happily slept in my car.
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So many signs! Rusti taught me how to use a paint sprayer. After priming, these all got treated with special reflective highway paint/micro glass reflectors in the letters, applied by hand. They will be top rolled with blue paint for contrast in August.
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Home for a week. This is a 12' Sunforger Canvas Panther "Regent" Pavilion. I'm borrowing it from a friend for the summer to see if I want to buy it. I have a 14' Sunforger Canvas Panther Single Bell Wedge, but for being similar square feet, there's FAR less usable room in my wedge than in this Regent. I can put up the Regent alone if I need to. The wedge usually requires 2 people.
However, I've been able to tour some of my peer's "tiny homes" (little historically flavored seasonal homes built on trailer beds) and I think I'm going to start saving my pennies in that direction.
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After doing a lot of other things with dear friends and sitting through a staff meeting, (yes, I go on vacation to go to meetings,) I motored home on 5/20, and have been trying to get on top of the lawn (a disaster until yesterday) and the laundry (finally conquered.)
On Memorial Day, I did accomplish a task I've been putting off since I bought the house. I pulled up and straightened out the granite post near the driveway that keeps people from hitting the house.
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We had a bit of a lean.
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It's not actually that tall. I had been hoping for another 6"-1' for a more solid situation.
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Dug down the hole some. There were big rocks I didn't want to disturb, being as they are right next to the driveway.
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Interesting to see how the dirt has slid down over the years to pile up against the cement apron/house.
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I soaked the post in water and D2 and gave it a good scrub.
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Put in some pea gravel I had from another project, and then backfilled with dirt.
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Much straighter! I planted some marigolds around the base; we'll see if they come up.
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| After all of that, I sat down for a well deserved beer (Jack's Abby Blood Orange Wheat. Great Summer beer.) |
The flowers are blooming, and more projects are in the works! Watch this space for more windows, more art, and more house.
