Hi, Steampunker Guy!

Today I attended a festival down by the port just on the West side of the mountain my well was built on. There were bands and venders, and stores had had sales.

While I was there, I spotted a fellow in steampunk goggles carrying an ammo case, with an old style army hat and a matching green trench coat. He had an incredibly sharp nose and eyes that looked like they had been cut with a blade from stone (never before had I understood the description of "eyes cut from stone" until then), traced blotchily with eyeliner to resemble the lids of a cat. I complemented him on his goggles, a cool, tin pair with clear lenses. He eyed my pointed ears, and perhaps my black and white jester leggings emerging from the silver and blue satin bodice that had a sort of open skirt panels that extended to my a little past my hips, covering a pair of black gym shorts. He approached me as I watched the Celtic band on stage, the lead jumping and sweating as he sang. The steampunker asked my age. I told him, and he said, excitedly, that he was a year older than myself. Then he asked the gutfull question, "do you have a boyfriend?" I smiled, flattered, but said to him I had asked someone out two and a half weeks before.

It is not unheard of for humans to have interest sparked by us elves. He seemed nice enough. I regret not giving him this blog address after turning him down. It is nice to see someone else willing to dress up to what they like.

The days just keep passing

Life is so fast,

The days pass,

How long can this last?

     I can hardly believe it's June. It feels like it was just February. It seems that I should be doing more with my time. What have you been up to this summer?

     In other news, I was bitten by my tortoise today when I picked him up to keep him from eating my toes. I swear he's developed a taste for flesh. Though he is an herbivore, he chases me with the most ferocious determination just so he can bite me. A tortoise bite is like a strong pinch or getting clipped by a pair of blunt scissors. In the past, he has removed a small plug of skin from my fingertip. I've never seen another tortoise act like this; he is one of a kind. This photo was taken about two hours after the bite.

~Evie Rooks

Introduced Invasive Quadruped, or, Professor Mittens

So my sister found a stray cat,

and she is allergic at that.

With the fur of a soft kitten,

we call her Professor Mittens.

But I prefer Introduced Invasive Quadruped.

Why?

Well cats like to play with frogs,

Like chew toys for dogs.

And I like the frogs,

all snug in their bogs.

Same goes for the birds,

not used to the species merge,

of household feline and woodland.

So before you let your cat out,

be sure to cast about,

for local animals who may become dinner.

For the more cats we have,

the outdoors will grow drab,

as the death toll grows bigger and bigger.

Keep your feline indoors,

entertain him with s'mores,

what ever is necessary to keep him off the prowl.

Be sure to adopt,

bring over population to a stop,

and always spay and neuter.

     Because both my dad and my sister are allergic to cats, we will not be keeping Professor Mittens, or as I like to call her, Introduced Invasive Quadruped. Not that I have anything against cats, Mittens is extremely sweet and playful and nice, but she is also playing with the frogs that live around the wishing well. This I will not have.

     Monday I will be calling around the local veterinary clinics and animal shelters to see if she has an owner. If not, I will be surrendering her to a local no-kill shelter. This is obviously an indoor cat. No doubts. She is also very skinny. She would be happier at a shelter than out here. I have been giving her enough food to get her by so she doesn't go after a chicken, but not quite enough for her to settle. Hopefully she has a loving owner who will be ecstatic to be reunited with her.

~Evie Rooks

Film progress update

   I am still collecting found-dead bugs for my stop animation short about a bug with a big, hurt heart.
   As for my abstract film, I don't know if I will be finishing it. I don't exactly know what I planned to accomplish with something so without a plot. I have been inspired by the make up I used to shoot a version of a scene from William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. I had rushed at the beginning of filming this, with the hope of entering it in a film festival. With the deadline fast approaching, IJ decided to submit a stop-animation screen test instead. The story to this test is a wire-and-clay stick figure is trying to reattach it's leg.
   I'll know if I got in by August first. Oh, how I hope the weeks pass quickly!
            (Quickly and productively, that is.)

~Evie Rooks

Write a little of Nothing

Okay, honestly, how many of you out there have just sat down and written something about nothing? Nothing isn't the space between atoms (though it very well can be). Nothing can refer to those estranged half-remembered nightmares and dreams. Nothing can be fragmented childhood memories, patched together in a scrap-booky autobiography. Nothing can be the air in your lungs just after it rains, or the way the water runs off the car window pane on the drive home from school. Nothing can be your nightly habitual buzz of what ever you are so fondly rooted to with routine. It can be the OCD with which you apply your mascara with the equal number of strokes on both eyes.

Writing nothing is easy. Begin with the first words that come to mind, and end with the last. Writing nothing can take as long or as short as it needs to. The only hard-set rule is that you know when it's done.

I believe writing a little bit about nothing every day strengthens the writer's eye. I am a proud writer of Nothing.

~Evie Rooks

Metal Smithing & Finger Minting

Come now, don't be so brusque--

You are moving much to fast--

If finishing soon is a must--

Then don't save best for last!

Fine silver nose ring.

To start this post, I first should tell you I typed the original just-over-three-page draft of this post a month ago entirely with one  hand, using only the thumb of the left hand to press the shift key. To find out why, read on.

This past school year, I received scholarships for an introductory  jewelry metal smithing class at my local art college. In this course, I worked with brass, copper, and silver. I learned the basics of wire and sheet-metal shaping, soldering, cold connections, bezels, and tube settings. Big thanks to my teachers who taught me and helped me through this course!

Daemon me

First semester there were only four students in my class; a pair of human girls that had taken the course before and were repeating it as studio time, a human boy who was a bit of a self-inflicted shut in but was nice enough none the less, and myself, taking on the form of a milk-skinned, grey-hued, dark-teal-haired elf. I heard my fair of star-treck, lord of the rings, and miscellaneous other assorted elf jokes from the teacher because of my distinctly pointed ears. Well, what does one  expect when cross-species mingling?

Onyx set in silver on brass sheet band.

In truth, I worked at a haunted house during that semester and had to go strait to work after. I didn't have time to fully transform between class and work, so I attended as an elf; a half-way form to my daemon form I take at the haunt.

Because I really didn't know what was in store each class, I didn't come up with many ideas ahead of time. I did think of my final project before class, though. It took three four-hour classes to complete.

From left to right: Copper octopus mask, copper pounded wire bracelet,
fine silver nose ring, copper wire bracelet, brass twisted & flattened wire
bangle with brass screws, brass-banded ring with fine silver bezel and
onyx stone.

By second semester, I had gotten the hand of some techniques, and was full of ideas for new pieces. I had a small collection going of found objects, most of which I never got to. We had a substitute teacher for the first two classes, and an assistant teacher at this class. Our class had about twelve people. One of the returning girls from last semester was there. Me and her were the only ones that had taken the class before. We learned how to do cuttlefish castings out of copper, which was something that had not been covered before. I found I really enjoyed casting, and did as many as I could during the first two classes.

When second semester started, I had taken a recently unearthed interest in taxidermy, bone collection, and other forms of preservation of the dead. This inspired me to write a novella where wet specimens play a key role. The assistant teacher of my class was able to tell me some replacements for formalin 10% that is far less toxic, though still dangerous. I haven't tried this, but I looked into it and what she says seems quite valid.

Rings, buttons, and a fish-hook 16g piercing jewelry fish hook.

Copper cuttlefish cast buttons.

The end of the last class, we had a small art show. It consisted of the family members of the students arriving during the last ten minutes of class to see what everyone had made. Pictures were being taken by the teacher of student art on a white paper background.

I had hurriedly constructed my final project during that class. "Final projects" are not something required, as this was not a graded course. But I like saving best for last.

I had made a headband out of three 12 gauge brass wires twisted and soldered into a hoop. I added a piece of flattened wire shaped a bit like a staple to the inside of the hoop. This was going to fold over three peacock feathers to hold them in place. I had made a bezel for a small, round, burgundy cut stone, but it came out too small.

In the last five minutes of class, everyone was rushing to complete their projects. The teachers were spread thin trying to help everyone sum up their work. I saw that I had no time to make a new bezel, and hurried to polish the thick brass wire hoop.

I used a soft-bristled brush and white diamond polish on a large power-polisher. (the big kind built into a table). I wore a clear plastic hood as I polishing the hoop. It kicked once or twice in my hands when I pressed too hard into the bristles. I was thinking I should switch to the dermal polisher (a small, hand held device), between this though occurred to me, I only had five or so inches left.

Fine silver "fish hook" piercing jewelry.
Has eye drilled so fishing-line with feathers
can be attached.

Five more inches. How hard can it be?

See that tiny twist on the left?
That's where my finger caught.

The hoop kicked again. This time, though, it went over the smaller-diametered brush and hung on the shaft that spun the wheel. Before I could let go, the annealed (heated and quenched so that the metal is molecularly softer) wire began to curl around the shaft, trapping the tip of my middle finger between the wire and the shaft.

Copper cuttlefish bone casting of a
shark's tooth with sea glass mixed
with the molten metal.

I managed to pull my hand out in the nick of time, meaning right before my finger was pulled off. I am so grateful I was able to escape. This machine takes minutes to come to a stop, and no flimsy arm is gonna be something to stop it. In the moment of horror, I had completely forgot where the kill switch was.

I shouted "ouch! That hurt! That really really hurt! ****!" It almost didn't seem real. My first fear when getting caught on the polisher was I would loose a finger, and the first thing I new when I pulled it out was that I hadn't.

My finger tip did hurt, though. It hurt a lot.

The polishing room is separate from the happening and soldering/work bench rooms because of the dust and noise level. I stumbled into the hammering room, where I was met immediately by my teachers. The first thing they checked was if I could move my fingers? Yes. All of them. The conclusion at the time was that I had merely lost the skin over the nail. I was cleaned up and bandaged with a first-aid kit. When in the hall getting patched up, I could see my dad where I had told him to meet me to bring him to the art show. I tried to tell my teachers this, but shock had begone to take effect.

After school first aid, right before ER
cleaning.

I was half-carried to a work stool, where I half-passed out leaning on the table. I could feel myself pail and in cold sweat. I did my best to hold it together, But I couldn't help loud, high little noises of shock and pain.

At that point, my dad entered the room, looking for me. He was wondering why I had not met him like we had planned. Well, he found out quick enough.

Twisted wire band rings

The assistant teacher brought me some orange juice, which immediately helped with the shock. She said it had something to do with the blood sugar. Although I could still move my finger and my teachers said it was just my nail broken, my dad took me to the ER to get it checked out. I had 1,000 mg of tylanol to no affect in the car ride over, and he thought it was causing me too much pain to be just a nail injury.

First we went to the wrong hospital: according to their website, they had an ER, but when we got there they told us there was none. We were directed to another hospital that was on the same street as the school. So it took me about 40 minutes to get in, and another 20 or so minutes (though it felt longer) I was finally given ice. I was given painkillers and seditives through an IV as well as some pills. After all that, my injury reached a tolerable state. That means it felt like it had been slammed in a car door.

Cuttlefish fast ring, hay penny ring,
and yellow feather ring.

In the end, a nerve block was used: two at the base of the finger. The x-ray showed the bone was broken all the way through just past the knuckle. The location of the break explains my ability to still move the finger. The fingertips and knuckles on all the fingers (but not the thumb) on the left hand were bruised to the bone. I had blood blisters on all my fingers. The skin that normally sat over the live part of my nail had been folded between the brake in the bone, though I wouldn't know this until later. The ER nurse tried to push my finger back in place, and splinted it. Two days later I saw a hand specialist. He switched my splint to something that doesn't cover the top of the finger or put pressure on the break. Additional x-rays post-splinting reviled the flesh pinched between the two parts of the broken bone. The hand specialist said my finger is technically amputated because only soft tissue held it together. Luckily adequate blood flow allowed it to be saved.

Watch gear rivet ring, cuttlefish cast
ring, butterfly bead ring.

I went into surgery to have the bone pinned back in place three days later. I was supposed to be awake but sedated through the procedure, but when they put me under with the intention of it lasting no more than three minutes to clean and prep me for surgery, I ended up being out for about forty minutes. The pin stays in a month, and comes out next week. Then with another two months of healing, my finger should be good as new. Surprisingly, my fingernail was still attached enough to be saved. This was a pleasant surprise, seeing as I was told I would loose it and it would take a year to grow back.

Another six days later, I upgraded to a "streamline splint." This was the first time seeing my finger after surgery. The doctor did a good job repairing the skin, though my finger does look a bit flat still. The pin is visible, projecting slightly from my fingertip. I think it must go into the joint, because it hurts like hell and is impossible to bend my finger. This I discovered by accident.

Just after my wrapping
came off.

All in all it was six days from injury to surgical repair. The painkillers I had been given seemed to work, though I had to switch after two and a half days 

because the first ones made me sick. I never realized how much I used my left hand. Guess I won't be playing bass, opening jars, shuffling cards, or typing efficiently for the next two to three months. If anything, it's mostly annoying because it's such a small bone to cause such big limitations. I'm still grateful though, because at least I still have a finger.

~Evie Rooks

Buldging Dragon Eyes

A few days ago I took my bearded dragon, Brutus, to the vet. I had the appointment scheduled because he has been gaping a little when not over-heated, and made a weird gurgling-snorting wheeze the other day.

When we first got there, Brutus was a happy shade of brown. Bearded dragons show how they are feeling by their color. Happy dragons in the mood to run around tend to be (unless there is a color-morph present) light brown to medium brown with a light beard. Angry beardies are black or dark grey on their back, limbs, head, tail, and a blackish beard. Beardies sunning themselves are darkly colored and spread their ribs to absorb more light, and have light colored beards.

Brutus's lungs checked out clear, and blood tests came back healthy, besides being a little anemic. He is underweight, though, so I will be having a fecal test done for parasites sometime this week. The sample was collected today, but the vet is a bit of a commute from the well. The sample will be kept cool for two days until I can drop it off. Lizards don't usually poop everyday like most pets, because they have slower digestive systems than mammals and birds.

One thing that puzzled the vet, though, were his thick cornea. The cornea is the clear  "lens" that forms the outer layer over the eye. Brutus's cornea are thick enough that you can see through them from behind and in front. It projects from his eye like a thick lens made of tears. The vet thought it may be kidney disease, but the blood tests dispelled that idea. In the end, the veterinarian settled on that Brutus simply is "a funny looking lizard."

Brutus had his eyes poked and pressed during examination. The vet opened his mouth by pulling the skin on his chin, and held him belly-up for longer than Brutus liked when showing me his single set of male glands. After scaring Brutus more than he had ever been scared before, the vet sat him on a heat-pack wrapped in a washcloth on the examination table. Shamed and cold, Brutus crouched low and turned a stormy grey. The vet saw this, and said he seems depressed. But wouldn't it be easier to gauge an animal's overall happiness before violating the said animal's space?

Brutus was the runt of the litter, and a pet-store dragon. Small size at birth and unhealthy stock may be the reason for his thinness. Genetic mutation and poor breeding may explain his unique eyes. I will be adding more insects to his diet to help him put weight on, and some spinach for iron. Once I get the fecal test results and speak with the veterinarian, I will make an educated decision on continued course of action. 

~Evie Rooks

When angry sports fans call your name

   Last night I went to the last home game of my local hockey team with my sister and parents. I had never been to game before, not being the team-sport type myself. Through a combination of giveaways and coupons, we aquired 3 free tickets and were seated eight rows up from behind the goal.
   Now my sister, having always shown more interest in sports, wants to learn hockey. I'm not sure how that's gonna go. Sometimes I wonder if she's fragile or a dramaqueen, or that I was a lot tougher at her age. She just seems to hurt easily.
   The game was more entertaining than I expected. There were some fights on the ice, the first of which looked staged. Little kids bopped for the big screan, about two or three per stand standing up and rocking out.
   The bruiser on the visiting team's last name was the same as my first. This rendered it quite humorous for me when the middle-aged sports moms' sitting behind us along with others across the stadium started chanting our name. I couldn't help but to laugh when they started shouting "I've got a pretty pink dress for you!" and "you suck!"
   But, like the dancing frog from the Looney-Toons cartoons (my mother's association), every time I had my smart phone out to get a recording of the chanting to use as a ring tone, they stopped! I don't think it was because they saw me trying to record. Entirely to do with the timing of things.
~Evie Rooks

A note on those who bring you down by pinning & pointing out flaws

   We all have (or had) that friend who so cordially points out our every flaw. We all have those classmates who you just seem to rub the wrong way. The important thing is not to let these people bring you down with their insistent pointing out of errors that do not pertain to them or anyone else. Minor flaws that are merely human. As long as they hurt no one, it shouldn't be of interest or of issue to others. Everyone has them, even the know-it-alls that content themselves criticizing  When encountering these people, remember those who would happily defend you. That friend who would stand up and say for you, "that was uncalled for." We all have flaws, and there will always be someone pointing them out like it is all they are meant to do. Just remember those who would raise their voice in your favor, because they probably know you better and are a better judge. Blocking out the downers and bringing in happy people is one of the keys to a happier existence.

   Now, don't get me wrong, constructive criticism is good in my book. We all have something to learn that can only be learnt if pointed out. But just strait up criticism is usually unnecessary.

~Evie Rooks

Strange Happenings in the Woods

Scene 1 screen-shot depicting my leading and only actress.

Scene 1 screen-shot depicting the actress's make up.

   Today I started shooting my next abstract film. This one should be about an hour and fifty minutes in length, and will be edited in imovie since I have yet to update my editing system. I used three cameras and a microphone left rolling, and did it all in one continues shot. Unfortunately, I did not think to check the SD cards to see if they all worked. I only own two, and had to borrow couple from family. One of them turned out to be corrupted, bringing me down to the two cameras for this scene. Wish I had known that before shooting!
   Now I am trying to upload the twenty-minute long 10mp clip from my canon powershot sx10 IS. So far, it refuses to upload that one particular clip (everything else loaded fine though). This is my best camera, thus my main one. I will continue to try to upload this clip, and hope I can find a better way at uploading. The next two shots I will be doing are an half hour and an hour long, so if it's size that's the problem, I'd better fix it now.

~Evie Rooks

Side Panel Flair Jeans

   I made these jeans a couple of years ago with a pair of clearance rack skinny jeans and a quarter yard of faux tiger-print suede. I have always gotten complements on them, and now you can to by following these simple instructions!

What you will need:

Jeans (if using skinny jeans, you can get them 1-2 sizes bigger for more material in the legs, and wear a belt with them)

quarter yard of fabric for the panel

scissors

sewing machine or needle and thread

1. Cut the outer seam of your pant leg. Go up as high as you like. I went about two inches above the knee. This is the space where the fabric panel will be added. Repeat on the other side.
2. Cut a triangle/trapezoid of the fabric of your choice. You want it to extend from the top of the cut-out seem to the bottom hem (with an extra inch of the panel material) of your pant leg. Figure out how wide you want your flare to be by opening the cut seam to the width you desire. Cut your panel to the proper width, plus an extra half inch on either side. You should have a triangle/trapezoid. Repeat a second time for other pant-leg.
3. Sew and hem the panels in place. Be sure to turn your jeans inside-out while sewing if you do not want exposed hems.
4. Strut the streets in your newest & coolest pair of jeans!

Still my only follower...

   Greetings and salutations from the well,
   Let's try to get some viewer subscribers! I'll post a new how-to for every new subscriber. If you are not following visibly with a blogger account, post a comment in this post just to see how many readers there are!
   Thanks,
~Evie Rooks

Spring Coop-Cleaning

There are bird turds,

many many bird turds,

there are bird turds

all around.

There are bird turds,

numerous bird turds,

there are bird turds,

on the ground.

In the coop,

there is plenty of poop.

Excrement and feathers,

man, those birds crap together!

When you look in the hay,

you know it's cleaning day.

When you step in the coop

and get poop on your boot,

you know what I'm gonna say!

~*~

   Right when I thought spring was were, there was another flurry of snow two days ago. It's mid-April, for crying out loud!

   One of the first things I like to try and get done in spring is cleaning the bird barn. The chickens, geese, ducks, and guinea hen I keep live in what was once a horse stable on the property I live on. I'm gonna find a good place to dump the old hay today, and try and get it cleaned out completely by the end of the month.

   I let the birds free-range, and contrary to popular belief, I have never had a problem with them wandering off. But in the cold, harsh winter, when the wind-chill brings temperatures into the sub-zero, none of the birds want to leave the coop (and I sure as hell won't be out there cleaning it). By the end of winter it is time for a change in bedding. During the time I can't change the hay, though, I still keep things tidy by sprinkling saw dust over the filth.

   A clean coop makes for happy, parasite-reduced/free birds, and free-range birds are even happier.

~Evie Rooks

If I Were an Earthworm...

Earthworm, earthworm, watch it dig!

Stirring the earth beneath fallen twigs!

Earthworm, earthworm, watch it eat!

Creating nourished soil beneath my feet!

Earthworm, earthworm, watch it crawl

out of the flooded wormhole town!

Earthworm, earthworm, watch it wiggle!

Look at the child's face, watch her giggle!

Earthworm, earthworm, mud-eating-dirt-worm,

eats only compost and hurts no others!

Today I was asked again the classic question of "What animal would you be?" I love this question, because animals truly have amazing abilities (not suggesting humans or elves aren't animals) and have a totally different impact on the world around them.

I as a child I often wished to be a shape-shifter. Though I do have limited shape-shifting abilities, as you will see through out this blog as it is written, I could never change my form enough to be considered a different animal.

The animal I would be if I were not an elf (or zombie, or daemon, or fairy...) then I would be an earthworm.

Yes, earthworm. Rarely do people ask my reason, though. So I will post it here, for I think it is a good one.

Earthworms do not kill anything in order to survive. Instead, they consume decomposing organic matter that has already died, thus harming no creature to survive while giving nourishment to plants.

Yes, there would be perils; I could get eaten, I could drown in a rain storm, I could get stepped on by a clumsy-or-cruel human after escaping my flooded hole, I could die in the heat on the sidewalk after a rainstorm. But wouldn't it be great to live a life where you harmed nothing, but only helped to thrive? This may seem silly, but judging by the consumerism in the human species, particularly some populations (not gonna point fingers, America) it seems like it could be a real contrast to life as we know it.

And, let's face it, they are really cool. The way they move, they way they dig, right down to their weird soft-rubbery skin. Just... so cool.

I wonder what life looks like from an earthworm's perspective?

~Evie Rooks

What kind of animal would you be and why? Post your answers in the comments.

De-Mold your Literary Gold: A Brief Book Binder's Guide to Fungi Removal

   About a year ago, I found four Victorian-era books, and two Edwardians while I was at my local thrift store. Of corse I bought them, even though two of them were romances (one my least favorite genres). There is something to just having old books around that makes a home feel more magical.

   To my dismay, I had overlooked the fact that three of my newest babies had-- *gasp* spotted covers! To paraphrase Cornelia Funke, mold can destroy a book collection as certainly as fire. It is a silent killer, feeding on your beloved volumes and spreading like the plague. And mold isn't just bad for books; it is also harmful to your health! That is why I am telling you how to de-mold your lovelies if you have caught them early enough. And please, proceed with cation! I, Evie Rooks am not to be held liable to any damage caused to your own health or that to your books by following the steps below.

1. Assess the damage

   Look your book(s) over for mold or mildew. Keep an eye out for water damage or unusual stains, these could be mildew! Mold looks like little grey, white, or black raised specks or strands when first starting to grow. Also be on the lookout for that musty "old book" smell. If the mold has taken over much of your book, you may be better off tossing it out. Not many book-binders do mold repare as far as I know. Black mold is the most dangerous to your health, so proceed with cation. If your book is indeed moldy, be sure to "quarantine" it as soon as possible in a sealed plastic bag, to avoid the spreading of spoors.

The beginning of a moldy corner on a 1882 edition of

Peabody's Webster's Dictionary,  pocket sized.

Foxing (a form of harmless mildew) on the tops of the pages of a 1895 edition of  Elizabethan Lyrics.

2. Vacuum

   YOU MUST USE A HEPIFILTER VACUUM OR ELSE MOLD-SPORES WILL BE BLOWN ALL OVER THE PLACE, WORSENING YOUR PROBLEM!!! Okay, don't say I didn't warn you! Using a HepiFilter vacuum hose, secure a dryer-sheet in place over the suction end with a rubber-band or hair elastic. Use this to remove all the mold you can from the book. BE CAREFUL!!! If your book is fragile, this could rip pages if you don't hold them right!

3. Wash away those stubborn spores!

   Using hydrogin peroxide, LIGHTLY dampen a soft paint-brush, squeezing out excess peroxide on a clean, dry rag. Use this brush to wipe down all those spots you vacuumed mold off of, and anywhere else that has water damage. The peroxide kills the spoors and any remaining mold. This is also good for removing some stains! Be careful not to get your book too wet, or else further damage may arise, or more mold will grow on the soggy pages.

Note how dry the brush is.

4. Let dry

   Ultra Violet (UV) light kills mold. Let your books dry out in the sun for further protection from mold. But, if you are like me, and the weather is too poor to allow you to do this at the moment, you can create a light box! This is easy! All you do, is take a sturdy cardboard box, line it with aluminum foil, place your books inside, and set a full-spectrum lamp over them while they dry. You have to be careful doing this, because it can bleach the color out of your books over time. You can find full-spectrum lighting at garden stores and pet stores, in the reptile and aquarium sections. If you know somebody who keeps reptiles or tropical fish, they may be willing to give you one of their retired bulbs. I know, as a reptile caregiver, that these things build up, because they are no longer strong enough after just nine months to a year of use. Don't let this sway you, though even though they are still good enough for your books.

The inside of a lightbox.

5. Check your book and quarentine it again.

   Check over your book for mold you may have missed. There will be some residual staining, but this doesn't have to mean anything. Even if it looks good, it is wise to quarantine your book again, for at least a couple weeks. You can do this by placing it in a dry, brightly lit place away from other books. If you like, you can put it in a plastic zip-lock bag. Even though this prevents the spread of mold, it can also create a stagnant environment if your book isn't completely dry. So choose wisely.

Before

After

I hope this has helped you save some of your beloved volumes!

~Evie Rooks

Well of Words

There is no such thing as a bad idea for a story, there are only poor ways of telling them.

You can achieve access to the well of words inside you, only if you are willing to take the plunge.

It may seem a task to decend the slimy bricks at first to reach the riches below.

The riches of words and water.

But when you get there, you'll be glad you took the effort, time, and patience to have found your wishing-well voice.

For it is a magical one, and will only grow stronger.

~Evie Rooks

Creepy-Crawly: A Love Story

As a child, I found many things grand,

I loved all the creatures across the land,

But one did strike me especially, oh may!

They were so small, but always on their way

To a great harvest feast or to sing a dusk ballad,

They swarmed and dispersed, approximated numbers invalid.

They were the bugs, so small and divine!

To me, they will always be the sweetest of wines.

~*~

I am planning on telling a love story that ends in murder. Here is my cast so far.

   Note that no animals will be harmed in the making of this visual-art story. I believe daddy long-legs caught and ate most, if not all of the insects shown here. This is only what I collected from part of the well today. I presume that I won't find as many during the next week, because before now I have not been collecting them. In conclusion, there was a bit of an accumulation.

~Evie Rooks

Quotable

   Not long ago I was quoted by life coach Robyn Holley on her facebook page. This was the first time I have been quoted, and as a casual writer may know, it's a pretty cool feeling. This may be one of the first steps (along with this blog) in getting my letters out from the bottom of this forest well I live in (very damp, not too good for keeping notebooks) and into the eyes, ears, minds, and noses of you humans.

Graphics by Robyn Holley.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robyn-Holley-Life-Coach/308011189271712

~Evie Rooks

Welcome to the Wishing-Well

On this blog you may find,
Costumes and tales that are quite divine.
If it is writing tips you seek,
Or tales of a fairy's walk along the beach,
Or how to transform yourself into an elf,
Or how to re-organize your bookshelf,
Or how to bind and restore a book,
Or how to find that secret nook,
Or how to weave the magic of a child's soul,
Or what goes on inside the home of a mole.
You will find these answers and explanations, and many more,
Be prepared for what is in store.

~Evie Rooks
aka
~The Insolitus Lupus