One Chicken Done

Day 113: By request, and because I am really struggling for both material and inspiration. 

Although I'm using the design elements for a sampler, the pattern for the "Mexican Chickens Tea Cozy" appeared in "Buttermilk Biscuits," published in 1981 by The Vanessa-Ann Collection. It is the only pattern I have ever used from the booklet, but I have made it at least half a dozen times on various fabric counts. For this version, I'm working on 18-count oatmeal Aida using two strands of floss for the cross-stitch and one strand for the backstitch in order to get good coverage of the canvas. The second chicken is roughly one-third complete. A border of golden chicken-wire will surround them and the verse, "The goal of Life is living in agreement with Nature," the dictum which frames my existence as quoted from the Greek philosopher Zeno of Citium. I have not yet decided how the piece will be mounted.

Earth Day 2018

Day 191: Above any other motto which might apply to my life, Zeno's words are the light which guides me. I'm not the best example by any stretch, but I *try,* and that is something we all can do. It's hard to avoid plastics in this throw-away culture of ours, and it's next to impossible to function in a civilized country without consuming fossil fuels of one sort or another. While refusing plastic bags and committing ourselves to recycling are steps in the right direction, it is my considered opinion that our greatest impact might come from a willing reduction in consumerism. Consider what you're about to buy: do you really need it? Could you make do with a second-hand version? Will the old one suffice for another year or two, even though it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newest model? And consider what you're planning to throw away: do you know someone who'd make use of your unwanted items? Don't sell them. Pass them along, and break the "money chain" which drives the engines of consumerism. On this Earth Day, I offer another of my life-slogans: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." And don't think it doesn't make a difference. Even the small things count.

Walking The Talk

Day 358: However inspiring Zeno's words are, they are impossible to live by in today's society. I try to make environmentally-sensitive decisions, but my home is not plastic-free. I discard and replace things I could probably repair. I even occasionally resort to using chemical controls on certain persistent weeds in my yard. I recycle extensively, but not all materials are accepted by our service. What do you do when you order a product and it arrives packed in styrofoam? I often choose the lesser of two evils when one or the other is necessary to satisfy creature comfort, e.g., weighing whether the shorter lifespan and greater power draw of incandescent lighting are a better choice than mercury-containing "curly" bulbs (given that mercury is now being detected in many birds, incandescent wins). In short, I do what I can to "walk my talk," but still feel I fall very short of the goal. Still, I'd like to think I make up for a portion of the deficiency in other ways, answering to my environmental conscience's insistence that I could do more during my tenure upon Mother Earth.