Oops, WordPress helpfully reminded me that it was my 5th year blogging anniversary… on January 19th. The traditional 5-year anniversary gift is wood. I love carving wood and making shavings and sawdust, but I currently don’t have time. I thought I would have AI whip something up for me, but it kept wood burning the edges of the “5”, so I grabbed a leaf photo and some wood grain from my collection, then added a chiseled emboss and a drop shadow. The original picture of the leaves and the wood was nearly the same tone, so I played with a hue adjustment layer and fell in love with the teal. (I really wanted to do a color-shifting background in an animated GIF, but wasn’t sure it would work on the site. Future tests are in order.)

I also just secured the crittersandcraft.blog domain name. My chickens are aging, and I’m not going to get more, so it seems strange to have a chicken and craft blog, when I don’t post much about chickens. Now to figure out how to make the switch and not break anything. Or maybe I already have. Technology is my frenemy.

Here is my confession: I do not craft everyday all the time. I do go and hide in a video game for extended stretches because sometimes I just need to go into a battle I’m confident of winning. The latest obsession has been Stardew Valley. First off, crafting is a heavy element in the game, so it appeals to my maker’s soul, and then there are the mines where I can cathartically destroy rocks and monsters. Creation and destruction coded into a beautifully addictive game. Oh, and there is fishing. Yay fishing! I have been so absorbed that I have reached end game, 100% perfection, as it is called. Yes, there are a million things to remake and rebuilt and rearrange, but the overarching goals have been met. I even have a golden chicken that lays golden eggs. Hm. Maybe it is time to get back to my real life craft room.

I add a bit of Elderberry syrup to my morning orange juice (just a little of both, to get some more Vitamin C). When the dark purple syrup hits the orange, it makes very interesting patterns, which are different every morning. It feels like the patterns could be read, much like tea leaves, but unlike tea leaves, the liquid swirls and changes rapidly. There isn’t much time to let the brain make up images. Except one day, when my OJ smiled at me. Surely that would be a positive sign? Unfortunately that day was quite traumatic, and the next day was worse. So maybe it wasn’t a smile, but a leer. Beware the grinning breakfast drink.