W-EVdnesday #5 Precious Metals

Culture changes usually take a long time; people tend to like the status quo. So it is normal to be unsure and skeptical about new ways of doing things; in fact it is good to think critically, something that is lost on a frighteningly large number of people in today's world. When computers first became the norm for research, back in the early 2000s, as opposed to going to encyclopedias and non-fiction sections of our libraries, we, as teachers, had to first learn and then teach critical thinking skills wrt sources. We taught kids to verify the accuracy of a source, look into credentials, and we drilled into them the fact that anyone, anyone, can make a webpage, and claim 'facts' and relate 'actual incidents' that might be seen as true. We sent them to sites like snopes.com and factcheck.com. Little did we know that in less than two decades formerly respectable news sources would print lies and untruth and unreality in order to garner 'clicks' which were unheard of back then, really, in order to get as much revenue as possible. 

Follow the money is a truism. If you follow the money back to many of the myths circulating about EVs, you will find that oil companies are very skilled at promoting misinformation. One of them is that EVs require mining for lithium for their batteries that is worse for the environment than drilling for oil is.

Sunset Strip Pattern Release

Sunset Strip is my newest release! This was a quilt I designed for a challenge when I was an Island Batik ambassador in March 2019. There are (ahem) a few challenge quilts that need to get written up and published into patterns! I've not been as productive in the pattern-writing department this year, just three: this one, and two for magazines.

This pattern was the first design in that year's Design Challenge I was hosting, so it is high time I got it out into the world. It's also the first one I wrote up, graphics and all, in Pages, a word processing app on my MacBook Air. Prior to this I worked in Googledocs, but storage is limited there, so I thought why not learn Pages. It's really not much different than Word and Googledocs, and is actually more user-friendly in many ways.

I had four lovely ladies test the pattern and I am excited to show you their makes! Also I should add that it is on sale all week at the lowest price I've ever released a pattern: $7CA. That's just about half price. ($12 regular)

Gratitude Glimmers #79

Still struggling some days at finding those 'Glimmers', moments or sights or thoughts that give me a glimmer of happiness, a lift to my spirits. Being grateful has become a habit though, and I snap photos all month long as reminders of these glimmers. Gratitude does lead to a happier human. You can find more grateful posts at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I like this sign I saw on a dog walk in Kingsville earlier this month.

Broken Heart Syndrome and Grace

I do love this pattern of mine, first one that I got professionally tech-edited (thank you Yvonne) back in 2019 around this time of year. I do not love the reasons for the three times I've had to make it. This time is another tragedy, so I'm advising you of a trigger-warning in the content (death and loss) in this post.

One day and one year ago my nephew, Andrew, passed away at the all-too-young age of 32. His mom, Pat, is MacGyver's sister; she was one of our bridesmaids along with my two sisters. Andrew had a bad cold last November, but when Pat visited him to check up on him, he was having trouble breathing, and she knew something was very wrong. She called an ambulance despite his protests.

DrEAMi #77

Second last DrEAMi post of the year! Did you have any Drop Everything And Make it moments this past month? Any distractions that wouldn't let go?

Image courtesy of A Splintered Mind

I had a couple!

Rainbow Gingham Quilt

I’ve had a few finishes under wraps of late, some because of surprises, others because they’ve had to wait their turn. This is one of the wait your turn finishes.

You’ve seen this one as a flimsy, the quilt I made after my first three presentations to guilds east of Toronto in mid-October. It was a DrEAMi, a Drop Everything And Make it quilt. Last week I got it quilted and I think I’m as excited to show the back as I am to show the front!

W-EVdnesday #4 Maintenance

This is an area that will probably blow your mind when it comes to EVs, because there is virtually no maintenance. Electric motors are less complex than internal combustion engines (ICE) because they don't require multiple moving parts.

EVs do not require tuneups. EVs do not require oil changes, whereas ICE vehicles require regular tuneups and oil changes. That's right; there is no oil to change! Think of how many oil changes you do per year with your ICE vehicle, and do the math as to how much that costs. This is also an advantage that EVs have over hybrids because hybrids have two systems, the ICE system and the battery system.

A look at our 'frunk' which is where an engine for ICE vehicles would be. The pink and blue jugs are windshield washer fluid and the coolant reservoir for the battery.

The first major maintenance checkup is at 200 000 kilometres. Obviously you will still have to rotate tires and fill up windshield washer fluid and change the HEPA filter just as with an ICE vehicle.