Day 600: carding and spinning

Day 600:

During the day, I dig toward the big mountain.

At night, I’m learning how to make a carder for wool.

I’m kind of glad my parents used to drag me to all those historical reenactment sites as a kid. I mean, I don’t have any idea how to make all the fancy complex tools that they had, most of which looked so old and rotted away I’m not sure I would have understood them anyway.

But I do remember that to make the wool long and spinnable you had to brush it between two things called cards, which were like two big flat hairbrushes with metal tines.

So like everything else here, it’s not as easy as run down to the local storage synthesizer, where as long as the computer had a 3-d image of a thing it could produce it. I’ve got to melt the iron down and then roll it while it’s hot until i have thin enough chunks that I can cut them into nail lengths, then hammer the nail lengths into the wood.

(I did try to weld a set onto metal, but let me tell you, I don’t have the energy or patience to do that kind of delicate work after digging all day. It’s hot and smelly and hammering is more fun. )

Tonight’s attempt made nails that were too thick, so tomorrow I’ll try again.

Day 599: The llamas are back!

Day 599:

The llamas are back! And this time they were accompanied by a man – humanoid at least. He was holding their leashes. (Are they called leashes when they’re on llamas?) The llama man turned out to have a limited vocabulary of mostly “Huh?” and “Ahhh” but between his hand gestures and mine I figured out he was some sort of trader. He wouldn’t come inside, but he was willing to trade some of my emeralds for what appears to be dye — black and hot pink!

I can make colorful socks, folks! This is amazing!

Of course, now it means that I have to cut the wool off the sheep again to dye it…

Anyway, that wasn’t the only amazing thing. As dark was falling I tried to invite the trader in again, to keep him safe, and he shook his head no. He pulled out a bottle from his cloak and drank it… and disappeared.

I kid you not.

Freakin’ disappeared, invisible except for the llama leashes.

So it was him! Or someone like him! Who visited me the last time!

If there was ever a day that made me think the falling cow gave me a concussion it was this one.

Day 598: moooooooo

Day 598:

Remember when I said I was trying to “landscape” that one large hill to the south so I could get some better visibility and not get cornered against an unclimbable cliff face?

And remember how I said there was a cow up there and the last thing I needed was a cow falling on my head?

Cow fell on my head.

Just clipped me, but ow. Not a good plan. No more falling cows.

I hear a sheep baaing up there….

Day 597: it’s all chicken hides

Day 597:

There are chicken hides on every surface of this cavern, which is hot and stinky because I’m also melting down some sand, and to be honest I’d rather be sleeping outside underneath the stars, but I’m kind of fond of my own skin.

There’s still one lone murderer, the one I spared the last time I saw them, wandering around in the mountains to the south. I see him occasionally when I go out to gather firewood. He doesn’t appear to want anything to do with me now… probably because I killed his five associates.

(That would turn me off too.)

I’d offer a hand of friendship but they did try to murder me first, so I’m not much inclined to.

It’s a little easier to understand how people have gone to war so many times over the millennia when some stranger is trying to shoot you with a crossbow and you don’t even know why.

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal by A.C.H. Smith

The Dark Crystal was a fascinating movie, and it’s just as fascinating book; the coming-of-age and saving-of-world story of a Gelfling, Jen, who didn’t know about the prophecy that his people would restore their world to balance until his master died.

The book follows the plot of the movie quite precisely. Jim Henson worked closely with A. C. H. Smith to ensure he had the information he needed to do so. More importantly, it captures the feel of the movie and the world precisely. This isn’t Earth. The things that happen on Thra couldn’t happen here, and so unexpected sights and creatures and events are the norm.

Still, the book isn’t one I’d hand over to any kid who loved the movie. It’s written with a voice that reminds me of midcentury authors. It’s very heavy in world building and exposition, and compared to the movie is a bit slow.

Definitely a book for fans, not necessarily a book you’d necessarily want to hand over to a reluctant reader, is what I’m saying.