We are finally cooling down here in Texas. We actually had a freeze warning in October, which seemed unusual. I did a few additional things this year in addition to shutting down sprinklers and disconnecting hoses. Basil turns black if the temperatures drop below 40 degrees. In past years I’ve tented the raised bed with plastic, with minimum success. This year I actually gathered my remaining basil and brought it inside to dry.
Photo description: A bundle of fresh basil hung on a utility rack to dry.
I also cleaned out the cat bench and put in new straw. I don’t think any of the neighborhood cats use it, but just in case, it has fresh bedding and a handful of dried lavender to deter bugs. I made this bench with the insulated compartment several years ago.
Photo description: Open hope chest style bench made from 2x4s with two compartments, one lined with styrofoam and additional wood for insulation. Both sections are lined with straw.
Although it would be nice to crochet a custom lining for each round basket I find, sometimes I just fold an old towel in half and toss it over. This works great for Izzy, but for seven-month-old Thor, it is too tempting.
Photo description: Gray tabby behind an upturned round basket with a towel spilled out.
To keep the towel in place and not subject to kitten wiles, I sewed together the ends of a piece of wide elastic to make a stretchy band that goes around the towel and basket.
Photo description: Same basket, same towel, but with a two inch elastic strap around the circumference, holding the towel in the basket.
The securing of the towel meets with both cat’s approval.
Photo description: Gray tabby cat filling up the towel lined basket, looking at the cameraPhoto description: Calico cat sitting in the same basket, later.
In my opinion the basket is a little small, but the cats like it cozy. Yes, they are about the same size now, and Thor is still growing.
I used to record voice overs, both professionally and as a volunteer for a radio reading service. I enjoy the work, and even invested in a decent microphone and amp. Then life happened with kids and pets and noisy house environments and technical software difficulties. It has been awhile but I decided I want to try again, and the downstairs coat closet had already been cleaned out for an office during the pandemic, so I moved my stuff in.
Photo description: Coat closet converted to a recording studio with curtains hung on the walls and ceiling, chair, computer (the computer on the floor is being used as an external hard drive), microphone stand, and microphone.
I’m pretty proud of myself in outfitting the room. The carpet was already there to keep the floor from being too cold for feral cats in cages, the curtains were all left by the previous owner, the curtain rods were all repurposed from other locations in time and space. The fairy lights were from a failed experiment in my kid’s room (they are too bright for her). The shelves were already there, I just rearranged them. The chair is from a set that migrates around the house and is good for recording because it doesn’t roll, creak, or make other unwanted noises. The only thing I purchased was a pop filter and a mouse pad (neither pictured). I used to have a pop filter, but I have no idea where it got off to. My optical mouse really doesn’t like the white surface on the shelves, and we have no spare mouse pads.
I did some initial tests, including a musical Zoom call (kid’s guitar lesson), and things seemed to all work OK.
I sat down on a quiet morning (everyone else was off to work and school) and started experimenting with the software. I’m using Adobe Audition because it is bundled with my graphic software package. I walked through the tutorials, which was a great refresher because I’ve already used this software to remix tracks for my chorus, and I learned some shortcuts that I didn’t know, and discovered spectral view (wowza). And a terrible, terrible buzz. I chased the source of the buzz for an hour, trying different settings, different microphones, different headphones. I had finally given up, thinking that the next step was to move everything back, went to turn off the desk lamp, and heard a pitch change. What? I had dug an old led clip light out of a drawer, and plugged it in for more light. I unplugged it, tried recording again, and the ambient noise level was undetectable. Of all the irritating things. Recording testing can now continue, and I don’t have to repurpose the room, again. For now.
Photo description: The culprit: a pink clip-on LED lamp, shown unplugged, attached to an overhead shelf, and the source an an hour of electronic noise woe.
Happy Halloween, may your electronics be shielded.
Ok, not a baby cradle, but the cat is definitely interested in what is going on when my spindle is in the makeshift cradle formed by an upside down side table. I put my spindle there because it makes it easier to wind the yarn onto my niddy noddy. As I unwind the yarn, the spindle skips and jumps and makes interesting scritchy noises against the metal.
Photo description: Wooden drop spindle set into the curved legs of an upside down metal side table. Gray tabby sniffing the end of the spindle with one claw caught in the yarn.
Despite the extra “assistance,” I did manage to get all the yarn onto my niddy noddy. This is the multi-fiber blend from Anniewhere. I’ve wet down the fibers and set them to dry out of the cat’s reach.
Photo description: Several bundles of 2-ply yarn wrapped onto a PVC niddy noddy.
Cats and fiber arts really don’t mix, but it is remarkable how often they do anyway.
My ukulele did not come with strap buttons, so I found some elliptical ones from D’Addario and drilled pilot holes at the base (there is a block of wood inside to support the screw), and the back of the neck.
Photo description: Elliptical strap button installed on the bottom of a tenor ukulelePhoto description: Elliptical strap button installed on the base of the neck of a tenor ukulele
I trimmed the ends of my woven band (see yesterday’s post), and treated them with white glue to make them stable.
Photo description: Both ends of a tablet woven strap treated with white glue (shown on a post-it note) using a brush (shown).
I found two metal slide buckles at the craft store and used one as intended, sewing on end of the strap to the middle bar and threading the other end over it. The other buckle I modified by taking out the middle bar and using as a ring in the fold of the strap. In my leather stash I had an old black belt. The leather was thick but flexible, and great for making the end of my straps. I folded, cut and carved tear drop shaped holes in the belt for the ends of the strap. One end I sewed on using waxed thread. The other I riveted together.
Photo description: Wood clamp holding the leather end and the woven end together so I could sew using the holes I punched into the leather.Photo description: Finished strap with leather ends and metal slidesPhoto description: Strap installed on the tenor ukulele.
I’m rather excited about having my ukulele on a strap since it makes it easier to hold at a good position for both my hands. I’m off to practice!
Critters and Craft 