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ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 3, 2019 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from curiosity, technoshaman, jtthomas, zeeth_kyrah, and gingicat. It also fills the "Metal" square in my 9-1-19 card for the Arts and Crafts Festival Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, erulisse, and ng_moonmoth. (I was meaning to post the one above it, but I am tired and this got posted early instead.) It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"The Making of a Wonderful Sculpture"
[Tuesday, October 6, 2015]
Shiv wandered idly through
the Raleigh Metalwork Show.
The fancy-dancy art stuff
was all inside a gallery tent, but
the biggest pieces stood outside
on pedestals or on the ground.
There were some pretty good fountains,
various people, owls and other birds,
a fantastic turtle, and some sort of
palm tree taller than Shiv himself.
Most of it was just junk, though,
big blobs of metal with no meaning.
When he said as much, Tolli shook his head.
"An enterprising person is one who comes across
a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of
a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person
is one who drives through an old decrepit part
of town and sees a new housing development.
An enterprising person is one who sees
opportunity in all areas of life."
"Yeah well, I see some opportunities
right over there," Shiv said, heading
for the row of weaponsmiths.
The sword vendor had
some very nice curved blades
that Shiv found tempting, but
they were out of his price range.
"Master Tullamore," the vendor said,
dipping his head as Tolli arrived.
That was interesting. Shiv had
seen people do that at Pennsic, too.
"What do you think of these blades?"
Tolli asked, waving a hand at them.
"You're better on straight blades,
but he's better than you on curves,"
Shiv said. "Neither of you come close
to what I can do with fancy edges."
"Show some respect!" the vendor hissed.
"Bite me," Shiv said, casually flipping him off
as he walked toward the nearest knife vendor.
Tolli just laughed and said, "Let it go, Nan,
I like Shiv just the way he is -- full of sass."
The knife vendors looked more promising.
Shiv looped through all of them, from
the modern kitchen knives to art knives,
but he kept circling back to a woman
with a table of Renaissance knives.
Along with the usual daggers, she
had several practical blades. There
were long bird's beak knives and
short eating knives with either
a shallow belly or a deep one.
All of the blades were made of
thick, springy Damascus steel
with subtle patterns that would
stand up to years of sharpening.
"See something you like?"
Tolli murmured, coming up
to stand behind Shiv.
"That one," Shiv said,
pointing out a knife with
a deep belly and a hilt
covered in dark walnut.
"Can I spend all of
my pocket money in
one place, though?"
"If that's what makes
you happy," Tolli said.
"Yeah," Shiv said. "I ain't
seen anything else I like."
So he bought the knife,
which really did wipe out
his budget for the show.
Totally worth it.
"I want to try the tent
again, if you don't mind,"
Tolli said as they left the table.
"I guess it doesn't hurt
to look," Shiv said.
It was just as crowded
as when they arrived,
though, and it made
Shiv jitter in place.
There were sculptures
of leaping foxes and
roadrunners and even
the head of a buffalo
standing on one hoof.
Shiv tried to pay attention,
really he did, but he kept
getting jostled and it was
hard not to snap at anyone
or turn around and stab them.
"Too many people?" Tolli said.
"Yeah," Shiv said. "Can we go?
Or least let me stand outside
while you stare at this stuff."
"We can go," Tolli said.
"It's not much fun for me if
you aren't enjoying yourself."
When they went outside,
they saw that Simon was back
with the food he'd left to get.
He had a whole lap tray
full of fragrant packages.
"Hey, look who I found!"
Simon said, tipping his head
toward the tall, elegant woman
who strode alongside him.
"Caroline, it's so good
to see you," Tolli said.
"Got any plans today?"
"No, when I saw Simon,
I hoped that I could come out
and borrow your workshop
for a bit," she replied.
Shiv was trying not to stare.
Caroline had loops of metal
enclosing all her fingers and
thumbs, under which lay
an absolute patchwork of
broken and healed bones.
"Shiv? You don't mind,
do you?" Tolli asked him.
"No, no, it's fine," Shiv said.
"What do we have for lunch?"
"Ten-bean soup with ham,
a whole skillet cornbread
to split, and baked apples
stuffed with maple pecans,"
Simon said. "Plus I've got
a gallon of apple cider
tucked in the Yeti jug."
One nice thing about
traveling with Simon was
that he liked to pack things.
Today he had a Black MOLLE
tactical backpack behind his chair,
full of goodies like the Yeti jug.
"Shall we pull up a picnic table
and eat lunch, then head out
to the workshop?" Tolli said.
"Works for me," Shiv said.
"Give me the food."
Caroline laughed.
"I like him," she said.
That was weird, but
Shiv was more interested
in digging into his soup than
arguing with Tolli's weird friends.
The cornbread was rich and delicious,
made with whole wheat and buttermilk.
It went great with the hearty bean soup.
The baked apples were crammed
with sticky, nutty filling and the cider
was more spicy than sweet.
Shiv listened to Tolli coaxing
Caroline to talk about her projects
and how she was trying to get
back to making things despite
the damage to her hands.
Swallowing the last of
his dessert, Shiv said,
"Lady, you made it this far,
don't give up and quit now!"
Caroline looked at Tolli.
"Nope, I didn't tell him
anything," Tolli said.
"Shiv notices things."
"Yeah well, sculpture is
all about starting with junk
and ending with art," Shiv said.
"Or weapons, whichever you like."
Caroline smiled. "And if it's both?"
"Then you're right up my alley,"
Shiv said with a smirk.
* * *
Notes:
Caroline Paige -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and elegant with a heart-shaped face. She is 22 years old. Caroline joined the army at 18 and served for two years. Then a bomb collapsed a building on her unit. Her injuries led to a medical discharge. Left with contractures on both hands, she wears swan neck ring splints on the middle knuckles of her fingers and thumbs. Most of the her scars don't show when she wears street clothes, but some of the ones on her chest are visible with a low neckline. Caroline lives in Emporia, Virginia. Sometimes she drives down to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit Simon and Tolliver Finn.
Qualities: Good (+2) Army Veteran, Good (+2) Beautiful, Good (+2) Crafts, Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Teamwork
Poor (-2) Dexterity
* * *
"An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life."
-- Jim Rohn
The North Carolina Raleigh Metalwork Show includes a variety of sculptures, including these junk sculptures. There are sword and knife booths too. See inside the show tent.
Enjoy recipes for Southern 10-Bean Soup with Ham, Whole Wheat Cornbread, and Maple Pecan Baked Stuffed Apples. Carryout trays of cardboard are sturdy but compostable.
Check out the Yeti jug. Note that most beverage vendors in T-America will dispense beverages into containers brought by customers, and simply sell by volume. It saves the vendors money on disposable containers and reduces trash. Enjoy a recipe for Hot Apple Cider.
Wheelchair accessories for camping include some interesting tactical equipment. You can find the Yukon gear here. T-America adds black (and other colors) MOLLE Tactical Wheelchair Accessories made just for that purpose.
curiosity, technoshaman, jtthomas, zeeth_kyrah, and gingicat. It also fills the "Metal" square in my 9-1-19 card for the Arts and Crafts Festival Bingo fest. This poem has been sponsored by a pool with fuzzyred, erulisse, and ng_moonmoth. (I was meaning to post the one above it, but I am tired and this got posted early instead.) It belongs to the Shiv thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."The Making of a Wonderful Sculpture"
[Tuesday, October 6, 2015]
Shiv wandered idly through
the Raleigh Metalwork Show.
The fancy-dancy art stuff
was all inside a gallery tent, but
the biggest pieces stood outside
on pedestals or on the ground.
There were some pretty good fountains,
various people, owls and other birds,
a fantastic turtle, and some sort of
palm tree taller than Shiv himself.
Most of it was just junk, though,
big blobs of metal with no meaning.
When he said as much, Tolli shook his head.
"An enterprising person is one who comes across
a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of
a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person
is one who drives through an old decrepit part
of town and sees a new housing development.
An enterprising person is one who sees
opportunity in all areas of life."
"Yeah well, I see some opportunities
right over there," Shiv said, heading
for the row of weaponsmiths.
The sword vendor had
some very nice curved blades
that Shiv found tempting, but
they were out of his price range.
"Master Tullamore," the vendor said,
dipping his head as Tolli arrived.
That was interesting. Shiv had
seen people do that at Pennsic, too.
"What do you think of these blades?"
Tolli asked, waving a hand at them.
"You're better on straight blades,
but he's better than you on curves,"
Shiv said. "Neither of you come close
to what I can do with fancy edges."
"Show some respect!" the vendor hissed.
"Bite me," Shiv said, casually flipping him off
as he walked toward the nearest knife vendor.
Tolli just laughed and said, "Let it go, Nan,
I like Shiv just the way he is -- full of sass."
The knife vendors looked more promising.
Shiv looped through all of them, from
the modern kitchen knives to art knives,
but he kept circling back to a woman
with a table of Renaissance knives.
Along with the usual daggers, she
had several practical blades. There
were long bird's beak knives and
short eating knives with either
a shallow belly or a deep one.
All of the blades were made of
thick, springy Damascus steel
with subtle patterns that would
stand up to years of sharpening.
"See something you like?"
Tolli murmured, coming up
to stand behind Shiv.
"That one," Shiv said,
pointing out a knife with
a deep belly and a hilt
covered in dark walnut.
"Can I spend all of
my pocket money in
one place, though?"
"If that's what makes
you happy," Tolli said.
"Yeah," Shiv said. "I ain't
seen anything else I like."
So he bought the knife,
which really did wipe out
his budget for the show.
Totally worth it.
"I want to try the tent
again, if you don't mind,"
Tolli said as they left the table.
"I guess it doesn't hurt
to look," Shiv said.
It was just as crowded
as when they arrived,
though, and it made
Shiv jitter in place.
There were sculptures
of leaping foxes and
roadrunners and even
the head of a buffalo
standing on one hoof.
Shiv tried to pay attention,
really he did, but he kept
getting jostled and it was
hard not to snap at anyone
or turn around and stab them.
"Too many people?" Tolli said.
"Yeah," Shiv said. "Can we go?
Or least let me stand outside
while you stare at this stuff."
"We can go," Tolli said.
"It's not much fun for me if
you aren't enjoying yourself."
When they went outside,
they saw that Simon was back
with the food he'd left to get.
He had a whole lap tray
full of fragrant packages.
"Hey, look who I found!"
Simon said, tipping his head
toward the tall, elegant woman
who strode alongside him.
"Caroline, it's so good
to see you," Tolli said.
"Got any plans today?"
"No, when I saw Simon,
I hoped that I could come out
and borrow your workshop
for a bit," she replied.
Shiv was trying not to stare.
Caroline had loops of metal
enclosing all her fingers and
thumbs, under which lay
an absolute patchwork of
broken and healed bones.
"Shiv? You don't mind,
do you?" Tolli asked him.
"No, no, it's fine," Shiv said.
"What do we have for lunch?"
"Ten-bean soup with ham,
a whole skillet cornbread
to split, and baked apples
stuffed with maple pecans,"
Simon said. "Plus I've got
a gallon of apple cider
tucked in the Yeti jug."
One nice thing about
traveling with Simon was
that he liked to pack things.
Today he had a Black MOLLE
tactical backpack behind his chair,
full of goodies like the Yeti jug.
"Shall we pull up a picnic table
and eat lunch, then head out
to the workshop?" Tolli said.
"Works for me," Shiv said.
"Give me the food."
Caroline laughed.
"I like him," she said.
That was weird, but
Shiv was more interested
in digging into his soup than
arguing with Tolli's weird friends.
The cornbread was rich and delicious,
made with whole wheat and buttermilk.
It went great with the hearty bean soup.
The baked apples were crammed
with sticky, nutty filling and the cider
was more spicy than sweet.
Shiv listened to Tolli coaxing
Caroline to talk about her projects
and how she was trying to get
back to making things despite
the damage to her hands.
Swallowing the last of
his dessert, Shiv said,
"Lady, you made it this far,
don't give up and quit now!"
Caroline looked at Tolli.
"Nope, I didn't tell him
anything," Tolli said.
"Shiv notices things."
"Yeah well, sculpture is
all about starting with junk
and ending with art," Shiv said.
"Or weapons, whichever you like."
Caroline smiled. "And if it's both?"
"Then you're right up my alley,"
Shiv said with a smirk.
* * *
Notes:
Caroline Paige -- She has fair skin, blue eyes, and long wavy brown hair. She is tall and elegant with a heart-shaped face. She is 22 years old. Caroline joined the army at 18 and served for two years. Then a bomb collapsed a building on her unit. Her injuries led to a medical discharge. Left with contractures on both hands, she wears swan neck ring splints on the middle knuckles of her fingers and thumbs. Most of the her scars don't show when she wears street clothes, but some of the ones on her chest are visible with a low neckline. Caroline lives in Emporia, Virginia. Sometimes she drives down to Raleigh, North Carolina to visit Simon and Tolliver Finn.
Qualities: Good (+2) Army Veteran, Good (+2) Beautiful, Good (+2) Crafts, Kinesthetic Intelligence, Good (+2) Teamwork
Poor (-2) Dexterity
* * *
"An enterprising person is one who comes across a pile of scrap metal and sees the making of a wonderful sculpture. An enterprising person is one who drives through an old decrepit part of town and sees a new housing development. An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life."
-- Jim Rohn
The North Carolina Raleigh Metalwork Show includes a variety of sculptures, including these junk sculptures. There are sword and knife booths too. See inside the show tent.
Enjoy recipes for Southern 10-Bean Soup with Ham, Whole Wheat Cornbread, and Maple Pecan Baked Stuffed Apples. Carryout trays of cardboard are sturdy but compostable.
Check out the Yeti jug. Note that most beverage vendors in T-America will dispense beverages into containers brought by customers, and simply sell by volume. It saves the vendors money on disposable containers and reduces trash. Enjoy a recipe for Hot Apple Cider.
Wheelchair accessories for camping include some interesting tactical equipment. You can find the Yukon gear here. T-America adds black (and other colors) MOLLE Tactical Wheelchair Accessories made just for that purpose.
Still memorable
Date: 2020-02-23 02:34 am (UTC)Re: Still memorable
Date: 2020-02-23 03:00 am (UTC)Thank you!
>> and I love the story of what happens next, back at the workshop.<<
The sale is still open, tonight and tomorrow. You could check in with the pool, offer to chip in, and see if they'd like to add that sequel.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-23 02:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-23 03:32 am (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2020-02-23 03:46 am (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-02-25 03:45 pm (UTC)The other guy annoyed me by complaining about and asked for review, and by demanding respect frime a (to me) percieved equal.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-02-25 05:42 pm (UTC)Typos. Blegh.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-02-26 01:44 am (UTC)Tolli specifically asked for Shiv's opinion, indicating he respects Shiv's understanding of the work, and Shiv gave his opinion honestly. There isn't anything inherently disrespectful about pointing out that the three of them have different strengths, unless you ASSUME that Shiv is Tolli's apprentice. He is, but nothing would have indicated that.
Making the assumption that a younger person has not attained the skill needed to give assessments of your work is arrogance. Especially in a world with superpowers that can result in looking younger than you are, or -- as with Shiv -- result in insight beyond what an unpowered person could attain in the same span of practice. There is every chance in the world that Shiv could make a better blade, right there, right then, from whatever happened to be nearby. To assume the right to chide another for answering a question comparing skill without seeing their own skill... everyone I've ever apprenticed to in ANY craft would have had me doing grunt work for a week if I did that, let alone did it in such a way as to cost the booth a potential sale.
I'm with Shiv, Bite Me indeed.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2020-02-26 01:59 am (UTC)Yep. He didn't check. And in fact, one of Shiv's regular customers is the most important person in the world.
>> Tolli specifically asked for Shiv's opinion, indicating he respects Shiv's understanding of the work, and Shiv gave his opinion honestly. <<
Well reasoned.
>> There isn't anything inherently disrespectful about pointing out that the three of them have different strengths, unless you ASSUME that Shiv is Tolli's apprentice. <<
It's more the presentation than the content. Shiv is very rarely deferential. He'll do it with Boss White, but Shiv just formed a different flavor of relationship with Tolli and Simon, which is fine.
>> He is, but nothing would have indicated that. <<
He's actually not. Shiv isn't ready for that level of commitment yet. So at present, Tolli is just teaching him things.
>> Making the assumption that a younger person has not attained the skill needed to give assessments of your work is arrogance.<<
True. But Asia leans heavily on seniority, which creates a cultural trend that older people "outrank" younger people without regard to skill. This has its ups and downs.
>> Especially in a world with superpowers that can result in looking younger than you are, or -- as with Shiv -- result in insight beyond what an unpowered person could attain in the same span of practice.<<
Yep. People often overlook that, though.
>> There is every chance in the world that Shiv could make a better blade, right there, right then, from whatever happened to be nearby.<<
Sure he could. He could slice the other guy's stock in half.
>> To assume the right to chide another for answering a question comparing skill without seeing their own skill... everyone I've ever apprenticed to in ANY craft would have had me doing grunt work for a week if I did that, let alone did it in such a way as to cost the booth a potential sale.<<
LOL yes.
>> I'm with Shiv, Bite Me indeed.<<
:D
(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-23 05:08 am (UTC)That big growler looks good, but the problem I have with Yeti mugs/tumblers is that they don't have a *really* secure closing system. My Contigo West Loop has a pushbutton main drinking mechanism with a secure secondary lock; I can throw it in the back of the bike and not worry that it'll leak if it gets banged around some. The Yeti mug closure is enough to prevent casual spills, but if the tumbler goes head over teakettle, you're getting cafe au lait all over the innards of your bike bag... Oh, and the lid mechanism field strips with a press and a tug, and can be tossed in the dishwasher to sanitize. (The painted and anodized tumbler bodies aren't technically dishwasher safe, but the straight brushed aluminium ones are... OTOH, unless you left it sit over the weekend, cleaning is as simple as dumping hot water into the body, attaching and locking the lid, shaking well, and (carefully!) dispensing the resulting liquid into the sink... presto, reasonably clean mug.)
I wonder if I can get this crowd to eat beans. I know our bonus teen will; they've been scarfing red beans and rice ... well, like a teenager... but mama and the original two? Dunno. 'course, I can't cheat with them like I can with goyim and put ham in...
Wait. Bonus teen will know how to spice beans to make them interesting; their bio-mum is vegetarian, and they grew up with such things... Hmmmmm!
Thanks, Ysabet. You got me *thinking*.
Yes ...
Date: 2020-02-23 05:48 am (UTC)At various times, my "purse" has been a military surplus bag of some sort or a small piece of luggage.
And of course, most utility belts nowadays are MOLLE belts. Regrettably 0% are designed for female bodies, though, and the lack of flare makes them downright damaging to wear over curved hips. Less so with padded webbing than rigid leather, at least.
>>I wonder if I can get this crowd to eat beans.<<
To get people to eat beans, first ascertain why they do not already eat beans.
Do they dislike the flavor? For most people it is easily concealed with such things as garam masala, ginger, barbecue sauce, ham, or whatever hot peppers you have. I am not a fan of bean flavor unto itself, but I love our lentil dal, which does not taste of beans but rather of masala. It is now easy to find many international spice blends, most of which work on beans. We have baharat, dukka, harissa, za'atar, and so on. I made my own version of Ras el Hanout. Oh, and the spice blends from the Elder Scrolls cookbook are now household staples; try the Imperial blend for savory dishes like beans.
Do they dislike the texture? Beans should be tender, not slightly crunchy. It is also possible to mash or puree them. Many beans make excellent dip. Figure out what flavors people like -- garlic, hot pepper, etc. -- and just mix those in your mashed beans.
Are they bored? Perhaps they simply don't like the half-dozen or so common beans they've tried. There are hundreds. Try some new ones. Get honey beans if they like sweet things, those are awesome.
Another option is to use beans in a mixed dish, such as soup or supper bowls. (A good supper bowl algorithm is 1 whole grain, 1 bean, and 1 vegetable but you can add more if you wish.) Ethnic cuisine can be very inspiring. We made a version of this Three Sisters Succotash using corn kernels, lima beans, and yellow squash diced down to similar size.
Most of the best veggie burgers are made with beans and/or lentils as a base. Black beans work great. If you like a reddish patty, consider red kidney or cranberry beans.
>>Thanks, Ysabet. You got me *thinking*.<<
:D Yay!
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2020-02-23 03:01 pm (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2020-02-23 06:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2020-02-23 08:27 am (UTC)https://yukon-outfitters.com/collections/expedition-bags-packs
Thank you!
Date: 2020-02-23 09:27 am (UTC)