Category: Crazy-Fun Files (Page 5 of 11)

PLUTO my favorite planet next to Mars…

August 23, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

When I was growing up I had an imaginary friend. Her name was Zelda. Zelda was a witch. That’s right, this little half-Italian Catholic girl had an imaginary witch-friend. She flew on a broom stick and traveled to oh so many places I could never go. Like Pluto. Actually, Zelda lived on the planet Pluto.
Pluto, my favorite planet next to Mars…
When I was an 8^th grader in what was then called Jr. High, I entered the science fair. It was kind of a new thing in the 60s, not at all required for students as part of any pre-set curriculum.
My project was an in-depth study of – you guessed it – the planet Mars. I won several firsts and seconds and ultimately made it through district with an Honorable Mention. That HM meant I couldn’t go on to ‘state’, but it was still quite a feat! Back then, this thirteen-year-old school girl scientist didn’t know that it was considered unusual for a girl to be interested in math and science.
Scroll up a few decades to the 21^st century.
When New Horizons was launched in 2006, hubby and I kept periodic tabs on its journey. As the internet improved, so did the ease with which we were able to keep up with all the photos and info NASA had to offer. The Jupiter fly-by photos in 2007 awed and inspired the world – talk about in-your-face beauty.
Early on in the mission, it came out that Queen’s Brian May is also Dr. Brian May the astrophysicist. Because he was dubbed an official “science team collaborator” to the New Horizons Team, I scrutinized his collaborations to see if rock stardom would overshadow scientific curiosity.
I was not disappointed, Dr. Brian is the real deal on both counts.
I’m confident he helped advance the cause of math and science showing nerdiness to be on a par with rock stardom.

Pluto & Charon from New Horizons

By late 2014 New Horizons began its Pluto encounter, rapidly entering into its approach phase to the planet. The infamous Pluto fly-by began in July 2015 while it was a mere 7,800 miles above the surface of Pluto. That’s just 601 miles above Santa Fe, NM in terms of an Earth distance comparison!
Because of this close encounter of the (formerly) 9^th kind*, a map of Pluto was compiled featuring names recognizing people of significance to Pluto. Approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in September 2017, it includes an area named after an 11-year old girl.

Map of Pluto with features approved by the IAU, September 2017

Burney crater honors Venetia Burney (1918-2009), who as an 11-year-old schoolgirl suggested the name “Pluto” for Clyde Tombaugh’s newly discovered planet. Later in life she taught mathematics and economics.
I wonder if Zelda ever visited Venetia as a young child growing up in Oxford, England back in the day?
*Pluto was considered to be the 9^th planet in our solar system back when I was a child…now it is classified as a Dwarf Planet.
Pluto photo credit, Pluto map credit

note: this is for day five of my 6 years on WP.org posts

Happy belated Lefthanders Day

August 22, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

August 13^th is the official date – BUT – it’s never too late to celebrate!

I’m not lefthanded, but my baby bro is…along with at least one person in each of our parents’ siblings and consequent families…I guess you could say we’re a lefthanded heavy family (groan).

(yep, this is for day four of my 6 years on WP.org posts)

Keeping you in my heart for awhile…

August 21, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

Note: Something triggered this nostalgic moment and while more on the rough draft side, I thought I’d use it for day three of my “6 years on WP.org” posts.

Denver Mandolin Orchestra Laura Bruno Lilly, Paul Drury, others

Detail of Denver Mandolin Orchestra group photo (circa 1999?) Laura Bruno Lilly (me) – kneeling in front, Paul Drury – tall one in the back

One of the joys of being a performing member of the Denver Mandolin Orchestra was the sense of generational genesis. The turn of the 20^th to the 21^st century marked my introduction and induction into this motley crew of musicians. A group ranging from violin virtuoso Thereza Stephan doubling on mando; mando greats Eli Karasek, Charlie Provenza, Drew Horton; to mother-daughter and father-son mandolinists sharing music stands during rehearsals and consequent performances. And then there were us guitarists headed by Ron Grosswiler whose collection of historical American classical guitar scores along with Mandolin Orchestra Repertoire from then till now was legendary and not fully revealed until after his death in 2010.
Peppered throughout the DMO’s 23+ musicians, amateurs and professionals alike, we all contributed to the awareness of this largely unknown type of accessible American music. Plus, those like myself who just wanted to play in an ‘orchestra’ with instruments not normally associated with conventional orchestras.
But what I remember most vividly is the memorial service Swallow Hill hosted for one of its own volunteers, and for one of our very own DMO members, Paul Drury, sometime in 2004 (?).
Living within modest means, and one who knew hardship as well as gritty challenges, Paul cared for others. He made sure everyday people got to enjoy simple pleasures – like music. Often, he’d pass on Swallow Hill concert tickets he purchased himself to people he knew marginally (often a little lost in life) – just so they could bask in the healing that is music.
One evening, he died suddenly due to an unperceived advancement in symptoms of diabetic shock…
I hadn’t been a part of the DMO for several years, but was contacted about the jam-session memorial to be held in his honor…an invite to bring my instrument and pluck some of the corny rep we played as a group. And yes, he had a proper musical tribute played by a smaller version of the DMO.
However, it wasn’t until the first strums of Warren Zevon’s Keep Me In Your Heart drifted through the auditorium sound system that the crowd got silent…Paul’s wish for all, sung for the one we had all come to honor that night.

ToDoTuesday

August 20, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

This is my first time to do a ‘linky’ post. It may be the first of a sporadic few or the first and last of just this one. Since I covered my bases with Roseanne of Home Sewn by Us, the sponsor of this linky-party, I was assured no one will be offended one way or the other.

This also counts as day two of my 6 years on WP.org posts. My, how serendipitous.
Here goes!
My creativity trinity* is as follows: fiber art – MUSIC – writing. Each is intertwined with the other, offering needful respites between projects which in turn aid in the completion of various Works-In-Progress as new perspectives appear from such respites. Ultimately, it’s all about the music but tracking fiber art Works-In-Progress is lots easier to communicate in such a setting as this.
My goals for the week from August 13^th through August 19^th:

Edit “Christmas Medley” NOTION score √ (hey, like this creative use of the square root symbol?)
Start ‘Pink Flamingo Wall Hanging Kit’ √

I’m planning on writing up a special post on the process of editing music scores into a Final copy, so I’ll just let that square root symbol ‘check’ linger to show I’m on track with that goal.

Pink Flamingo Wall Hanging Kit

As for the Pink Flamingo Wall Hanging Kit (PFWHK)? Lots of tangibles to share with you new ToDoTuesday readers and my dear usual suspects (little listers/followers).
I don’t usually do kits, but this one was on sale and I thought I’d use it to perfect my machine walking foot quilting skills and try out a few sewing experiments.
First thing I noticed right out of the box was the quality of the pre-printed fabric. The fabric itself has a great hand and feels like a high thread count cotton. It in fact glides smoothly under the needle and is a joy to sew/quilt. The printed aspect of it, though, is quite poor.
Everything except batting and thread is included –

Pink Flamingo Wall Hanging Backing Fabric & Battings

PFWHK backing fabric, 80/20 batt, low loft batt and tip of top fabric panel

which plays well with my intention to try a ‘double’ batting application and exploring lighter weight/finer thread in the bobbin.
My last two projects involving batting yielded a sense of incompleteness. I used an 80/20 cotton/poly batt for the Project4Now quilt which handled & quilted nicely, but feels flat and heavy. On my Proud2Bee an honorary Manc wall hanging I used a low loft poly batt which handled & quilted nicely but hangs flimsily.
For the PFWHK I decided to combine the two – with the 80/20 cotton/poly against the backing fabric and the low loft poly against the top fabric. I spray basted the two together then spray basted the outer layer of the 80/20 to the backing and then the outer layer of the low loft to the top. After smoothing everything out, I needle basted the new quilt sandwich for an extra measure of security.
I chose thread I already had on hand: a Gutterman 100% cotton Pink thread for the outline stitching required around the PF’s body and a Mettler Metrocene poly White thread for the vertical quilting lines. Both had The Finishing Touch Bobbin Thread 100% poly White 60 weight thread in the bobbin.

Pretty pink stitches

Using the walking foot for all stitching applications, I used ¼ in. Quilter’s Tape for the first two vertical quilt lines then added the left-sided quilting attachment spacer bar to continue the vertical line quilting on the PFWHK.
I learned two cautions with the walking foot:

The ¼ in. QT peels back under the walking foot, sticks & acts as a stitch-shortening ‘brake’
The presser foot glides under basting thread, catches & acts as a stitch-shortening ‘brake’, too

~~~~~~~~

ToDo for the week of August 20^th through August 26^th:

Continue edits on various NOTION scores
Finish PFWHK
Maybe have something to post on next week’s ToDoTuesday linky party

Thanks, Roseanne for letting me try my hand at this linky-party!

*new term I just invented!

6 years on WP.org

August 19, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

It’s official. I’ve been registered with WP for 6 years. I signed up and worked on my website/blog starting in July 2013 then pubbed my first post, Why Blog? Why Now? on August 30, 2013.

Bloggoversaries come and go. Case in point: last year’s was all but forgotten! This year, I thought I’d celebrate by posting a little something for 6 days in a row. Starting now! And no, they are not already written and ‘scheduled’ for automatic pubbing on the blog. I just came up with this idea and am gonna wing it.
We’ll see how it goes – meanwhile, enjoy this vid on day one of 6 years on WP.org.

Note: I chose this as it’s Monday Morning Friendly, with a message that is timeless…

Fun Friday Banana Box Update

August 9, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

Okay, I’m psyched.
I scored 5 – yes 5 – banana boxes a few days ago. And guess where I got ‘em? That’s right, the very same Food Lion that gave me the song and dance about turning them in for ‘credit’.
Fine. I kinda thought that customer service lady just didn’t want to bother with me the customer asking for banana boxes…
That was then…as for now…
A few days ago, I noticed a friendly looking produce person busily arranging lettuces. So, I went up and asked for a few of the boxes she had just emptied. “Oh sure, these are nice ones and haven’t been broken down yet. How many do you want?”
Of course her eagerness to comply with my request fueled my resolve to inquire about those darn banana boxes.
“Wow, thanks these are great.” I was warming up for the zinger.
“Oh, and hey, are there any banana boxes in the back?”
Friendly produce person’s eyes lit up as she raised her pointer finger for me to wait right there. She disappeared behind those odd plastic-y hanging drapery things that are commonly used to separate the back storage area from the rest of the grocery store.
After a few minutes, she returned in triumph with 5 – yes 5 – banana boxes and offered to help me take them back to my car.
What a score!

Yeah, it's a hot summer…

July 20, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

“Luscious Lavender,” poem by Annika Perry

A sight for sore eyes, no? Thank you, Annika for giving me permission to share this as part of my little oasis offering to my readers – not that any of it will actually cool us down or offer any solutions to the state of our Global Warming Reality…but, well, we’re all entitled to a break.
While my forays into the medicinal properties of lavender are legendary, pushing the boundaries of application (remember my ‘loaded brownie’ recipe confession?), there is also the purple presence of this flowering herb to consider.

Mary Lou Mawicke Bruno headstone, Ft. Logan

A shortened stem leaning against Ma’s headstone before Dad passed away.

I love purple, it’s refreshing and mysterious all at the same time. It’s also a shared favorite color with my late Ma…
This color has a history with my family, interwoven into the fabric of our lives. Some of those threads include what I named early on as being Bruno’s Purple Giants – irises that were originally planted in our Boulder garden the first spring after we moved there (Fall 1969) and have been in the family ever since. Transplanted clumps bought from the local farm down the road, Long’s Gardens, they took to the earth and exploded into tall stems loaded with hugely fragrant, deeply lavender-purple gems.
As me and my bro grew up, married and moved into homes of our own, tubers were dug, shared and planted with each successive garden.

My flower child Michelle (notice unflattened iris stem to right of hat)

One such bed lined the front walk to our first home during our kids’ growing up years where specimens routinely grew taller than a kindergartener. Notice Michelle’s purple slicker? It rained that day back in 1992.
When she came home from school (kindergarten), the normally taller Bruno’s Purple Giants irises were slightly flattened by the intense spring storm…except one battered stem.
My flower child, Michelle, surrounded by a walkway of towering purple delights – yummy memories – and an image oasis for this mom to savor.
Last summer, while finishing the distribution of Dad’s estate and getting Ma & Dad’s house ready to sell, I angsted over a nagging reluctance to give up the remnants of the family tubers which had been growing in a corner of their neglected garden. Because hubby and I have not owned property since selling our home in 2009, it wasn’t in the best interest of those tubers to be dug up and then not transplanted. As much as I wanted to keep with tradition, it just wasn’t feasible.
Wouldn’t you know, my flower child Michelle, now all grown up, came up with a plan. At the end of her trip to meet with us to celebrate Joe’s b-day and help with the cleaning of the house and such, we dug a few up, packed them dry in brown paper bags and buried ‘em in her suitcase. Her thinking being, she could at least plant them at her (and her husband David’s) place in MI to get established there. Given the fact that those poor tubers were disrupted from their normal growth cycle, it was dicey, but worth a try. Imagine, those Bruno’s Purple Giants replanted in yet another family garden and available for us to dig a few for whenever hubby and I do settle into a home of our own with a place to garden.
Someday.
And that’s another oasis for me to think on – hope is as refreshing as a drink of cool lemonade on a hot summer’s day.

On another note – yes a little pun – please enjoy this classic and appropriate to the theme of this post video, Summer in the City by one of my fav groups* back in the day. It brings back memories of summers in Chicago as a kid growing up before we moved to Boulder…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=158&v=U5bUmx-hk-c

*for a cool – pun intended – interview with John Sebastian, click here

Specialty Feet

March 9, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

Soon after the first two weeks of my convalescence I set up what my sorella-amica Lisa called a ‘sewing sanctuary’ – a working layout that is user friendly for one such as I with ‘Specialty Feet’. I scrunched down the ironing board, placed it in between my desk and sewing machine and scooter around from station to station on my desk chair. Using the desk as my cutting table area, everything is amazingly manageable – at least in context of smaller projects. While I can (and do with blessings from the Doc) clomp happily around from place to place while in the boot, merely standing on my foot for no good reason is a no-no.

My sewing sanctuary set up. Yeah, it’s a mess, but it works!

That same aforementioned sorella-amica challenged me to dig out the 2018 Row-by-Row quilt block kit we each purchased while visiting the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum last summer. Well, she didn’t out and out challenge me, but she texted me a photo of her completed block a few days before my surgery saying it was easy-peasy…except that the tiny flying geese border strips were a bit of a pain.
Who could resist that passive challenge? Not me.
Well, I stalled out at the sewing of the second half of those tiny flying geese blocks…ick, Too tedious and yes, tiny.

My ‘Specialty Feet’ resting while working on those tiny flying geese!

sewing machine accessory bible book cover

No matter, those circumstances pushed me to ferret out an excellent book I bought recently on specialty feet for the sewing machine and how to use them in various contexts.
(I bet you thought this post was only about my literal foot situation…HA! Fooled you.)
The Sewing Machine Accessory Bible by Wendy Gardiner & Lorna Knight is packed with information and advice on types of needles to use, size of thread, fabric idiosyncrasies and creative exploration of the assorted ‘Specialty Feet’.
This hands-on application on my Bernina is something I’ve dabbled in from time to time but never really got into as it took time away from my regular piecing and quilting projects. Now that I’m stuck at home* flittering between seated diversions**, I figured, why not go through this ‘get the most out of your machine – from using basic feet to mastering specialty feet’ book now?

I can’t help but end this post with a slice of perspective…I will get out of the boot, I will resume my vigorous hiking in the mountains when we get back to where there are such places to hike, I will be able to wear sandals with my woman’s feet showing (even though I still maintain feet are pretty ugly under all circumstances!)…but for the many Wounded Warriors among us, their ‘Specialty Feet’ are permanent. Yes, enabling them more normal physical activities, but still composed of foreign materials and requiring new ways of thinking in their everyday usage.

“The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.” Habakkuk 3:19

* not entirely true, I get out and about, just can’t drive myself yet – plus I tire easily!
**I am currently in the middle of season 3 of Call the Midwife (I so love this series, especially as it’s based upon the true-life stories of the main character), season 7 part two of Dr. Who (after a so-so season 6, I am sooooo into The Doctor once again!) I am also going through stacks of reading material – some books by indie-authors, some craft, some contemporary novels, assorted magazines and ‘comfort’ novels I re-read on a regular basis. Then there’s the more business-like stuff I can’t escape because I am supposed to remain more sedentary than active: transferring files to my new computer, reinstalling NOTION sound bundles and the seemingly never ending edits, layout issues, etc for my Swimming with Swans project.

just popping Up to say Happy Day

February 20, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

On the road to healing with Minions, music and happy day bouquets!

What a fantastic way to send flowers long distance! I received this ‘Bouquet in a Book’ in the snail mail a few days after my foot surgery from my blogger sista & co-honorary Manc bud, L.Marie.
Totally unexpected. Thoughtful. And fun.
Just like she is 🙂
I’m sharing my ‘adult’ pop-up book bouquet with all of you because it just might help to make your day a happy day, too – along with Stuart Minion (UKE ready to play), my jazzman Dad in spirit (represented by the statuette), my Ma’s outrageous lilies (one in a series of color studies), and a framed color copy of an art postcard I bought long ago of William H. Johnson’s Blind Singer (which has an interesting story behind it for another time).
Saw the Doc the other day to get my stitches out (ick, but whew, glad that’s done) and I’m on the next leg of my foot surgery recovery. Yep, that was an awkward pun 🙁
In three weeks I’ll be out of the Boot and closer to getting back into my ‘normal’ shoes – which implies getting back to my more ‘normal’ exercise routines. We’ll see. Until then, I discovered a fantastic YouTube Video by a youthful exercise coach on exercises that can be done while serving time in the Boot.
Caroline Jordan’s, Hurt Foot 30 minute Total Body Workout was filmed entirely while in the Boot during her own ‘hurt foot’ recovery. Already, I’ve kept up for about 15 minutes at a time in different sections of the 30 minute routine…not bad for a lady of ‘Sixty Pho’! HA! If nothing else, I should develop wicked upper arm strength (and possible sculpting), even if those glutes are neglected due to circumstances beyond my control.
Now excuse me while I do the last of three sets of TOE exercises my Doc ‘prescribed’ for me to do on a 3x’s daily basis…

just dropping By to say Hi

February 4, 2019 / laura bruno lilly

Okay-Okay, I’m still on my blogging break, but what say you to a quick hello?

Perhaps a bulleted update will suffice:

Our 2003 Toyota Camry – 400K 12/28/2018

400K reached at MM 64, I10W on hubby's 64th Birthday

400K reached at mile marker 64, I10W on hubby’s 64th Birthday!

Our 2003 Toyota Camry reached 400K on hubby’s 64^th birthday at mile marker 64 on I10W about 40 miles south of El Paso, TX while we were driving on our way to CA from SC for the Rose Parade…turns out, that trip also counts as a literal ‘coast-to-coast’ roadtrip. Interesting, eh?
The Rose Parade was not as great as last year’s, but still nice to experience in person. Plus, we just like the West Coast better than the East Coast (no offense intended, just personal preference).
We switched health insurance companies the beginning of this year. Not only have our monthly premiums and deductibles gone down by an incredible amount, but the procedure that was denied on our old plan yet aggressively deemed as a medical necessity by my doctor is now 100% covered and approved on this new plan. So, I’m slated for my long overdue foot surgery on Tuesday. The worst part about this is that I’ll be unable to continue my meager exercise routine for several weeks and I’m already starting out at my Winter Weight High…mostly due to all those days in the car traveling cross-country. 🙁 The best part is that I probably won’t be aware enough to really care about whatever happens during the State of the Union Address! No, really, the best part is that I’ll be in tip-top shape to take on my normal rigorous hiking routine when we get back to*…Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself here…back to the bullets…
On January 21st, around midnight, hubby and I were blessed to see the Super Blood Moon in all it’s glory. It’s not often the skies above our little rental here in FloTown are clear, but that evening was perfect for viewing this spectacular heavenly show.
I’ve connected with an artist/layout person who really ‘gets’ my vision for the artwork, packaging and branding of my Swimming with Swans project. This is a major achievement. She is amazing. Bless, you, Rita. 🙂

(Ma’s Uncle) Tran Mawicke poster
I found a reasonably priced piece of vintage poster art by my Ma’s Uncle Tran Mawicke. My favorite fine art piece of his isn’t for sale, but I’m hopeful one day I’ll snap it up…However, for now this purchase was inspired by the fact that sailboats are one of hubby’s favorite activities after motorcycles. It’s set to arrive just in time for Valentine’s day. Just feels good to have this connection to my past here with us in the present.

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That’s it for now, dear readers. Thank you for allowing me to pop in & say hi during my blogging break. Bye for now.

*will fill you in on details as we get closer to timing on all of this