Time To Quit

I am going to go into work and talk to S about quitting. She is just too much like my Dad. She needs someone who speaks cantonese anyway.

phew

The shelves are moving apace--not lickety or splickety--but apace. They are level even if the bubble wasn't always perfectly centered (Hey, I'm trying not to be persnickety...)

I have 3 banks of brackets up after much levelage, screwage and cussage. I have one more bracket to go up for this weekend's allotment. Then, lots of patching and painting from where the temporary placement of the shelves for T's visit made permanent marks and holes.

There are more shelves, but, later...

Thanksgiving is coming! We are having a guest! I have to clean!

So Sleeeeeeppppyyyyzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Finally got the new haircut. Now is less straw-broomish. Hair is definitely a tad grayer. It's always been hard to tell with my hair because it's ash blonde (or as my Mom used to say "Dirty Dishwater Brown...thanks Mom) so it always looked kinda silverish. Unlike Rob I'm not sporting full-on glistening silver strands--I'm sort of fading into it.

Also got the flu shot (not the H1N1), my Rx and a card for T. Rob staying home on Wednesday leads me to run around in wild task-completing abandon. Still, thought it would take less time than it did (that's almost always what I think about just about anything that's not fun).

Will lay down.

Will sleep

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Gotta Clean

Long time...

So anyway, I've gotten a lot done these past few weeks. I painted the stairwell--cottage white--and have been redoing the pantry shelves along the side. It looks like the storage place of a proud and civilized people.

I've redone the shelf over the stairs and am waiting on the white brackets to replace the skinny shelves against the left wall. I had to order them on ebay since they are a size outside the norm *grumble* (insert rant about the Lowes and Home Depot duelopoly here).

Today I finished the archaeological dig in the refrigerator. I mean, that thing is glowing with a cleansed and holy light. I even pulled it out and cleaned under/behind it. I EVEN ordered a replacement for one of the crisper drawers that was heat-warped beyond use in the terrible dishwasher disaster of '09.

I refinished the desk in the office; The raised garden is cleared and the trellises folded and neatly nylon-tied for next year. The laundry adventure continues apace.

Why am I working so hard? Thanksgiving? Well, yes. Cuz I should? Yeah, um, sure. The tingle of pride and accomplishment I feel when looking at my finished work? Absolutely. Because Zoe's graduation is coming up and the thought that people from both families will be coming to visit fills me with a cold and prickly dread? Ding! Ding! Ding!

Simply put, I am utterly unable to envision a scenario involving a visit from Rob's family that does not involve overt or semi-cloaked judgment (which, oddly enough is the same as my own self-judgment). I'm already practicing pithy internal comebacks to my own internal put downs. Practicing against friendly fire as it were. I suppose it's good that it's lighting a fire under my nethermost sit-upon regions. So, maybe I shouldn't look my paranoia in the mouth.

I am excited, and I will enjoy seeing so many people I love in one place. I just feel that it will be a referendum on my entire existence as a wife and mother.

Berries!

Went garage sailing and found a little red wagon for $6. I've been looking for one for years to hold plants in the garden. Every one I've seen so far has been way more money than I was willing to spend so this was perfect. Well, perfect would have been rustier, maybe with holes in the bottom. This had been repainted in the inside and is still very red-red--not that I'm complaining. It was the score of the morning.

I also got a book on poultry management from the 40's or 50's. I've read that picking up one of those is good when thinking about backyard poultry. I never thought I'd just find one of them somewhere. I also got an overpriced snowflake pin and a doll to practice dremeling upon.

The day started gray and promising storms, but ended up sunny and not too hot. I decided to just drive around in the country. Found myself at Butler Farms and picked some bland thornless blackberries and some fairly good raspberries. I bought a surprisingly delicious blackberry pie, a beautiful, chunky heirloom tomato; some lovely sunflowers; and a peck of peaches.

L called while I was driving home and we had a nice conversation. She wanted to know what I thought of the box she'd sent. Unfortunately, I found that having written her the email about it meant that I'd performed a memory dump and couldn't remember everything. I did remember which mask I liked best--resoundingly the red one. The blue came second. I liked them all but the red was my favorite.

I made a blackberry/raspberry crumble, but, experimental tasting seems to suggest that the purchased pie is tastier--made with a better tasting sort of blackberry is my guess. The recipe called for vanilla in the fruit...hrm...luckily I only put in 1/2 the amount called for as this was not an inspired idea. I sort of winged it a bit--also added some brandy and lemon juice to try to make up for the blackberries.

Dinner was the cheese/salsa sauce I made that was too salty to use with salted chips--on top of baked potatoes. It was delicious. I made a roux and added milk and cheese. Then dumped in a can of chunky salsa. I'd like to try the massively vegetabled salsa from Safeway next time.

Warehouse 13, Robot Chicken, now to bed.

Curdled Milk Paint = Jelly

I made milk paint!

Badly,

but I made it.

If I'd been writing this earlier I would have been joyful, ebullient even. But, when I went to stir in some home-mulled titanium oil paint I found it gelled into a unusable rubbery mass. I am sad... The titanium was way more watery than I expected too.

The idea is to do Square Foot Gardening and try using natural finishes to protect the wood. I bought the wood for my 6 x 4 box and although it was only $20, the whole square foot thing is turning out to be a huge money suck. So, naturally, I want my wood to last until armageddon--or at least 5 years--whatever comes first.

Natural finishes that are useable outside and unprotected, end up being oil/solvent mixes and lime/borax paints. Possibly green acrylics, but let's not be silly. The lime/borax mixes tend to be sacrificial coats but have the advantage of being mold and bug resistant. Borax is somewhat problematic as it's considered safe, but really the lethal dose would have to be huge. Plus, there's some thought that it might contribute to problems with long term exposure. I've always wanted to try lime paint, and the casein mix isn't too alkaline for wood.

As usual when starting one of these even remotely green projects I feel acutely my distance from California. The Hydrated lime was bloody difficult to find. Shipping ends up equalling the price of the item. I finally gave in and ordered canning lime online which is the same chemical in a smaller, more manageable amount. At first it was wonderful--the curds melted into a creamy paint. Next day, however--lime jelly.

Turns out that I needed to have added the "filler" and lots more water. So, I have another batch of curds rinsed and will try again later when the garden box is screwed together and ready to be painted.

Most of the recipes want you to curdle your own paint and perhaps that would be a good idea to try as the curds from the nonfat cottage cheese seem hard. I don't know the effect of their adding calcium to the mix...though whiting is a form of calcium isn't it? ::scratches head::

I think the next info I'll record will be about the oil/solvent mixes.

In my next life I want to be a chemist.

Recipe from The Real Milk Paint Company:
My suspicious, nay, paranoid nature suspects that the recipe is consciously vague so as to make buying their product seem appealing...but that would be suspiciously paranoid of me.

• 5 parts cottage cheese well rinsed, or dry curd cheese
• 1 part hydrated lime or slacked lime
  
• Lime-proof pigment

(some sources recommend casein powder--particularly those that sell casein powder)

1. Mix hydrated lime with water to make a paste.
   
2. Add to cottage cheese and stir in well. Leave for few hours - the cheese lump will dissolve completely.
   
3. Select some powder pigments and add to solution (Pigment powder must be limeproof).
   
4. Add more water if too thick; powdered skim milk if too thin.
5. Strain if you want a fine paint (old nylon stocking works well).
   

From Strawbale:

Making the Paint

• 20% curds (quark)
  
• 5% lime putty
  
• 75% filler
  
• 1/3-liter water for every 1 kg of filler (chalk or whiting) Smaller amounts of pigment with higher percentages of fillers equal less intense colors

- For the curds to achieve a binding or adhesive quality they need to be combined with the lime putty. A ratio of 20% curds to 5% lime putty is an approximate guideline and doesn’t need to be exact. We’ve found that one of the easiest ways to do this is in a blender. It might be

necessary to add a little water, but try first without it. Strain the mix when

finished to remove any lumps and wash the blender immediately because lime-casein when it dries is difficult to remove. Acquiring an

inexpensive blender that is dedicated to making paint is not a bad idea. The mixture of casein and lime should have a viscous consistency and should be mixed into paint as

soon as possible otherwise it has a tendency to gel. Then add the designated amount of water to the casein-lime.

Appropedia's "Curdled Milk" recipe (uses borax instead of lime)

lots of pictures and step by step info

• 9 oz Quark (curdled milk or curds)
  
• 1 1/2 Tbs. Borax
  
• 1/4 Cup Hot water (for Borax)
  
• 1/2 Cup Whitening (slaked chalk)
  
• approx. 1/4 Cup Pigment
  

Covers approx. 22 feet

Slake both the chalk and the pigment the night before (add water to make a paste and let sit overnight).

The Borax should be mixed into hot water,

Mix borax into quark with blender

add whiting--mix well.

From Earth Pigments:

including the Quark making part

Tools

* Container large enough to hold over 1 gallon of liquid, with room for stirring

* Wood or plastic spoons, one large and one small

* ½ yard cheesecloth for straining

* Plastic containers such as two large margarine tubs, and a one gallon paint bucket

Ingredients

* 1 gallon skim milk (milk must be fat-free and fresh, not powdered)

* 2 cups white vinegar

* 112 grams Hydrated Lime Powder Type S* (approx ¾ cup)

* 200 grams pigment

* Water for rinsing and slaking

*If using lime putty for this recipe rather than lime powder, use twice the weight of putty and adjust any added water to create the proper consistency.

NOTE: Since quantities for dry ingredients are given by weight for accuracy, it is recommended to have a small gram scale for weighing dry ingredients.

Making Paint

For this recipe we are using fresh milk that will be turned to curds with the addition of vinegar (or lemon juice). By curdling to create Quark, the milk protein is concentrated within the curds making a stronger paint. In addition it will not be prone to mold as milk paints created from fresh milk can be.

Allow the milk to stand and warm to room temperature. It should not become warmer than 115 degrees to protect the integrity of the casein. With the milk in a large container, stir in two cups of white vinegar. Curdling will begin immediately. Allow the mixture to sit in a warm place overnight or up to two days, stirring occasionally. You will notice that the milk solids separate from the liquid, creating solid curds and liquid whey.

Assemble all your ingredients when ready to paint, as milk paint should be used when fresh for best results. Place your Ocher or pigment powder in a plastic container and mix with an equal amount of water to soak. Work the pigment into a homogenous paste where all the particles have been wetted.

Place your lime in a plastic container large enough to hold two to three cups. Be careful not to inhale dust or allow dust to get on hands or in eyes. SLOWLY pour 1½ cups of water into the lime and stir into a creamy paste making sure all the lime has been wetted.

With all the ingredients prepared, have your paint bucket ready. Line the colander completely with cheesecloth. Place the colander in a sink and pour the curds and whey into it to drain the whey off. You now have small, easy to dissolve quark. Rinse the quark with cool water to remove any residual whey and neutralize the vinegar. Allow it to drain, but keep the curds dripping rather than becoming too dry. This moisture will aid in their dissolving with the addition of the lime paste.

Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and transfer the quark to your paint bucket. Make sure the curds are small and break down any that are larger pieces. Add the lime/water paste to the curds and stir well. You will immediately notice the curds turning from a lumpy mixture into a creamy paint. If some curds do not dissolve readily, the mixture can sit for 15 to 30 minutes to help break them down. Your milk paint is now ready for the addition of your slaked pigment. Stir this into the creamy quark and lime base. You may or may not need to add additional water. All ingredients should coalesce, and the consistency should be that of light cream. Be cautious of adding too much water. Strain your completed paint through more cheesecloth or a nylon stocking. Some undissolved quark may remain. Stir your paint thoroughly and often during application. Extra paint can be stored up to several days in the refrigerator, however it will begin to separate so try to use it fresh.

The first coat of milk paint will appear thin. If your base is too absorbent, the first coat can be diluted 20 to 50% with water as a priming coat.

boy am I tired.

Mrs. H is doing pretty well even though she has a broken clavicle. We do have to hold her as she walks from place to place. Unfortunately, this entails me walking somewhat hunched over with one hand under her good arm and the other around her waist while she walks very, very, VERY slowly to and fro. The pain medication is making her Parkinson-like symptoms way worse and she's confused so forgets what she's doing as she walks or freezes up. It's a challenge for my slow twitch muscles for sure.

I had to reload the dirty dishes, put them through a wash, rinse the newly dirty plates that didn't fit so they wouldn't calcify, then unload the now clean dishes and then load the dirty ones. I don't mind this so much when S is working nights--that feels supportive. But when it's the other girls I feel sort of dumped upon. Next time E works I'm doing a check before she leaves and call her on it.

By the time all was said and done I was a limp lettuce. So, I loaded up on caffeine and I stopped by the construction worksite that's by the dog park and got some wood for the salad box I have planned for Lin's House. I got a workout with my slightly buffer abs climbing around the edge of the trash crate and holding myself there as I reached in to grab what I could reach. I felt all Earth Dayish.

I think I look at my projects as successful with slight hitches--like finding out she didn't have baking powder and figuring out how to make it with baking soda and cream of tartar--and she looks at them as burdens that she has to take care of. Well, Lai did try to feed Mr. L one of the peat pots--telling him it was a really good snack--we don't know if she was serious or joking.