On a Friday in Late August

 California is on fire, again.  Lightning storms started the fires this time.  I sit and worry as I read about friends losing their homes, fretting over their safety.  Quietly mourning my beloved redwoods, so many of them now just kindling and ash.

Even here, there is a smoke haze in the air that burns eyes and makes the light glaring, harsh.  Late in the day the sun is blood orange.  It gets dark earlier than it should.

My hair is green again.  Emerald at the roots, changing to something closer to moss or seaweed at the ends.  Despite the dramatic color shift, it is as comfortable as my usual copper shade, though even more conspicuous when we venture out, which continues to be almost not at all.

Mostly, I do housework and tend the garden.  I've also started collecting seeds from a few of the plants.  And I continue to knit.  Of course.

Scents and Another Felix

 Most of my make up has been untouched these last few months, didn't even put on mascara the last time we did the grocery shopping. Occasionally, I'll swipe on a bit of lipstick if the mood strikes.  I haven't hennaed my hair since...late March?  Early April?  The green dye I used on my roots has mostly washed out, leaving a rather pale, almost mossy tint to the grown out hair.  It looks, oddly suitable.

The one collection that has expanded, (aside from the Yarn Hoarde) is the fragrance collection.  Most of what I own is amber and/or rose scented.  They are my go to favorites.  But...wearing the same smell everyday is boring.  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab to the rescue!  BPAL has been a consistent favorite of mine over the years, (I recently had to replace my Mme. Moriarty as I actually ran out).  While not the cheapest, a bottle lasts a good long while, the smells are unique, and it's a company I enjoy supporting when I can.

These are my personal favorites:

The other smell I have been wearing a lot was bought on a whim while putting in an Ulta order.

It's described as "driving through the mountains with the windows down."  I have to say, well done Pacifica! 

Having decided that I apparently need to smell like "outside" or "foresty", I snagged a bar of Shiso from Harry's soaps (Son is quite fond of the Redwood scent).

It is a nice soap that smells, well, like green herbs, doesn't make me itchy nor does it compete with my perfumes.  Definitely a win.

I continue to knit on my Sarah Connor hat.  Admittedly, I was a bit worried about doing dropped stitches, but it looks to be turning out well.

I cast on another Felix pullover out of some fisherman's wool I had in the Hoarde.

Not overly exciting or fancy, but I wear my other one almost constantly when it gets cold, as well as the cardigan version that I have also knit.

A pair of socks for Husband were also pulled out to be worked on.  The yarn is a discontinued Opal colorway.  The pattern is Time Traveler Socks.

He wears a US size 13 shoe and likes a tall leg so they fit in his boots.  They are not a quick to complete project, especially when you set them aside for two or three years.  Ooops.

Not too long ago I plunked an avocado pit into a small pot of dirt to see if I could get it to grow.  It was taking a good while, so I plopped in a few seeds from a store bought lemon into the pot figuring one of them might sprout eventually.

And now I have tiny lemon and avocado trees in my yarn room.

Neutral Headspace and a Pumpkin

 First, my backyard has hit threat level pumpkin, (a bit earlier than it should have, oddly appropriate, but I planted super early.  I'm hoping more blooms will set fruit now the worst of the heat seems to have passed.)

I've never grown pumpkins before.  Definitely a novel experience.

There are also lovely sweet peppers, (that likely won't be sweet as the plants got mixed in with hot peppers. Yay for cross-pollination.)

And it was actually hot enough, long enough for my Hatch chiles to set fruit!

One of the things I've started doing this season is seed collection.  Coriander off the cilantro plants that bolted.  Nasturtium, snapdragon and dianthus flower seeds.  Beans, peas, lettuce, chard, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Carefully dried and tucked away with the rest of the Seed Hoard, which is almost exclusively heirloom varieties.  I have proper Kitchen Garden goals.

As for maintaining a neutral headspace, which is all one can really hope for at this current point in time, the plants help.  They require pretty much daily tending.  Seed collection is time consuming and fussy.  I can, so I do not waste the opportunity to do so.  I am hoping it will enable me to spread more of the plant love later.

No, I am not optimistic that the current administration of uncompassionate, self-serving politicians will pull their heads out of their collective backside to maybe manage a functional bandage slapped on ever growing problems in the next month or less.

But that offers the opportunity for dramatic change for the better for the majority of the actual populace. 

Current practices (and whatever weirdness they potentially escalate into) are not sustainable.  That is what gives me hope.  Things have to change.  Things must change to improve things, for everyone.

Happy August?

Tonight there is cassoulet  ( I used chicken instead of duck, easier to come by around here and left in the slow cooker all day) for dinner.  Exceptionally yummy!  There is Irish Soda Bread to go with it, also quite tasty.

While the bread was baking, I went out and picked tomatoes.  They were absolutely delicious!

I finished my first Trescao sweater, four more to go.  Made out of Berocco Remix, they are simple, comfy tee shirt type items.

I also finished my OmgWtf2020 hat.

Next on the needles is my Sarah Connor hat:

The hats are decidedly thematic and have been quite enjoyable to make so far.

Knitting away, waiting to see what August will bring us, really hoping for more tomatoes.  Most likely steadily adding to the camping gear as we are able and continuing to avoid most humans.