July 20 2021 - The Right Fluff Stuff

 

Why does fabric always shed so much in the dryer? "Well, when clothing is washed, the lint is lifted from the edges of the clothing, however, the water prevents it from being completely removed from the surface of the clothing. When the clothing is transferred to the dryer, this is where the magic happens. The heat from the dryer, along with the tumbling process, exacts these bits of fibers from the surface of clothing. These particles are then collected into the screen of the lint trap." Why is it a muddy, dirty gray? "The reason for the uniformity of color is that when you mix colors at random you end up with a muddy, dark mess. Melt a box of crayons together and you’ll see this for yourself. But when you mix clothes that are mostly blues, grays and blacks — as is typical with most wardrobes — with a smattering of reds, browns and greens, the mess becomes bluish gray every time. Essentially, the contributions of your blue jeans and white athletic socks outweigh those of your favorite red t-shirt." What hobbies can lint be used in? "If you’re feeling really crafty, you can lift a bit from some old wool sweaters you no longer want to wear and make felt.Just soak the sweaters in some hot water, wring them out and place them in the dryer. Thoroughly clean the lint catcher before drying the sweaters and the wool lint you gather will be excellent raw material for homemade felt." "To use lint as a pet bedding option, take it a step further than just putting it into their cages or laying it on the floor. Simple sewing techniques can be used to create pillows or small pet beds for guinea pigs, hamsters, small dogs or even cats! Use the lint as a stuffing for a fleece pillow. This will create an extra warm area for beloved pets!" You can find many more uses and more curious questions HERE Some more shots from the Fun Run Day.

July 8 2021 - Looking for the Oldest Stuff

 

Continuing on the theme of old, I wonder what the oldest stuff is.  What do we prize and keep? There's a website named oldest.org and it tracks "oldest" things. There are simple things like  the 9 oldest wood schoolhouses, lighthouses  banks, buildings, bridges, and so on. Little did I think that the oldest tattoos would be significant. Ethnographic and historical texts reveal that tattooing has been practiced by just about every human culture in historic times. The ancient Greeks used tattoos from the 5th century on to communicate among spies; later, the Romans marked criminals and slaves with tattoos. Other cultures had sacred messages and symbols. Finding the oldest tattoos entails finding mummies. The oldest?  Ötzi the Iceman from 3400 BCE had tattoos - 61 in 19 groups of black lines. The locations of many of the markings are consistent with traditional Chinese acupuncture points, specifically those that are used to treat back pain and stomach upset. What is intriguing is that Ötzi lived roughly 2,000 years before the oldest generally accepted evidence of acupuncture, and well west of its purported origins in China. X-rays revealed that Ötzi had arthritis in his hip joint, knees, ankles and spine; forensic analysis discovered evidence of whipworm eggs - known to cause severe abdominal pain - in Ötzi’s stomach. It is, therefore, possible that Ötzi’s tattoos did in fact play a therapeutic role, and that acupuncture has a slightly more complicated history than previously believed. Now that is intriguing. It tells us that there is much to learn from old things, antique things and vintage things.  There's a trend to get rid of old stuff these days - things we have just finished using.  It has led to the waning appreciation of antiques and vintage.   That leaves us with National Old Stuff Day. - March 2nd. It is a day to celebrate old things and get rid of old things.  The two live side by side.  Certainly steam locomotives and railroad layouts represent old stuff from a previous time.  I wonder if I would find any tattoos on the figures.  I've never considered looking or asking.  It would be remarkable, wouldn't it.

Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

April 10 2020 - How Much Stuff in a House?

I have a sense that in the future there will be less stuff around to keep virus-free. For now, it is staying at home as the location donation organization is not accepting things because of COVID-19 (open for food donations). How much stuff is there to donate?  I found 21 surprising statistics about how much stuff we actually own HERE - this is a website on becoming minimalist. How many items does a person own?  There are 300,000 items in the average American home, according to the LA Times.  British research found that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 daily, according to the Telegraph. The average American woman owns 30 outfits - one for every day of the month.  In 1930, that figure was nine.  Source:  Forbes. What is the impact of owning this many things? Over the course of our lifetime, we will spend a total of 3,680 hours or 153 days searching for misplaced items.The research found we lose up to nine items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. Phones, keys, sunglasses, and paperwork top the list (The Daily Mail).  The Pansy Orchid is our picture of the day.

Read past POTD's at my Blog: http://www.blog.marilyncornwell.com Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca