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Current Music: The Jezabels: Hurt Me

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Will you hold fast?

Earlier this month my mother's old sewing basket ended up with me. It had so many spools of thread, including ancient wooden spools that were sold, back in the day, for just 55 cents. These old wooden spools had a message stamped on them:

FAST
TO
BOILING

The spool has "Fast to boiling" and "15¢" stamped on it

The spool has "Fast to boiling" and "15¢" stamped on it

This blue thread swears to you that it will hold fast, will not turn fugitive and fade or run, even in the face of boiling water. What a heroic promise! In the face of torture this thread will remain (stead)fast.

If I sew with this thread, I'll do so with reverence for its commitment.

Current Music: Takénobu: Toki Doki

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My Kyoto

Not to be all Youtube recs all the time, but the same mutual who shared the Greensleeves video shared this tribute to the city of Kyoto via a compilation of anime clips set in Kyoto, to the tune of "Toki Doki" by Takénobu, which has the chorus "boku no Kyoto" (my Kyoto), and I loved it very much.

Since several of my Dreamwidth friends have been to Kyoto and are fond of the city, I had to share. You can also go to the AO3 location and leave the creator some kudos if you're inclined :-)

Watch on YouTube

Current Music: Greensleeves!

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The Greensleeves Project

A mutual on Mastodon shared this mind-blowing Youtube video about creating a dress based on the earliest surviving version (1564) of the ballad "Greensleeves." It was fascinating for all the details about Elizabethan dressmaking (and also food--there's a verse about food, too; 18 verses in all). The way the expert creators researched their piece of the overall outfit (silk smock, crimson stockings, pumps as white as milk, gown of grassy green), the decisions they made (e.g., in the whole inventory of Elizabethan garments, there is no extant silk smock or record of one, so they interpreted the lyric as meaning a linen smock embroidered with silk), and then the techniques used to create the items were just fascinating.

So here's that video--long! But worth it, I thought. There are guinea pigs with ruffs! It was filmed at a stately home in Dorset!

Watch on YouTube

They also made a music video--also long! (almost 10 minutes), in which you can seen Lady Greensleeves gradually acquiring her costume while still rebuffing the suitor. Here's a link.

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Friday Five (12 December edition)

From

thefridayfive

1. Did you get an allowance as a kid, and if so, how much was it?
I think my allowance started around $2-$2.50 a week. This also seemed to be around middle school time, so I would guess early 90s, for time/inflation reference. Needless to say, it was not a lot. I made more money by doing yard work or doing well in school, and was rewarded based on report cards.

2. How old were you when you had your first job, and what was it?
Probably 12-13, and probably baby-sitting. I was not good at it, but I was paid around $15-20 to watch 3 young children for a single mom at the time, and she would leave us alone for 7-8 hours at a time. Man, they were something.

3. Which do you do better: save money or spend money?
I am a saver. After many many years of living paycheck to paycheck and practicing "simple living", I do not have a desire to own many things or a high inclination to spend.

4. Are people more likely to borrow money from you, or are you more likely to borrow from them?
The only people who borrow from me are my children, and then only people I borrow from are banks and the occasional credit card purchase (usually dental or vet coverage).

5. What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
By far, a house, but technically we don't actually own that outright yet? So after that, my education/school loans, and then a septic tank for this house we don't yet own.

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Friday Five (Nov 28 Edition)

From

thefridayfive

1. What were some of the smells and tastes of your childhood?
The smell of the chlorine from the spa my mother worked at, and later, the smells of the craft store (Old America) that she managed. Tastes would be Velveeta cheese and Vienna sausages.

2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
The ability to have your own thoughts without 1,000 things vying for your attention; freedom to roam without being under a microscope.

3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
Probably 5th. I was a stinker in the early grades, often acting out and getting into trouble. We moved around a lot due to the recession and I went to 5 different elementary schools. I think by 5th we had found a stable spot to land and I was able to relax a little. That was when a teacher first began to encourage my writing.

4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
Probably 7th grade, the summer I broke my foot at my aunt's pool and spent the rest of the summer hanging out of our own pool with one leg in a hot pink cast hanging over the side.

5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
I'd warn my younger self at 6 or 7 that they are worth more than their young body, and worthy as they are emotionally and mentally and intellectually, without need for perfection, and that they should never accept being told they are less than, especially by those who would profess to love them.