I Might Be The Only One

 I enjoy Springing Ahead and Falling Backwards.  

I don't at all mind "losing" an hour of sleep so that my clock time matches the sunshine that has started to flood our east-facing bedroom.  If I'm gonna be awake anyway, I'm much happier to hit the ground running at seven instead of six in the morning.  

Getting up in the cool of a summer day that has the potential to go triple digits is another reason I'm thrilled with daylight savings time.

It may have been a few years (okay, decades) since I had little ones who, like chickens, woke with the sunrise.  I liked my kids a whole lot better when my clock radio said it was only six-fifteen instead of a dreadful five-fifteen.

I don't think I'm losing anything.  Especially since I know I'll regain that hour of sleep next Fall when the days are getting way too short.

With snow falling and accumulating on an almost daily basis--still!--I'm also ready for any hope of Spring.

A Silver State of Mind

 I do live in the Silver State actually.  But this isn't about that.

I'm in the market to update my style so I was laying out necklaces, trying to decide what length I liked and what style.  Before I knew it, I was possessed by a wild hare, grabbed those tarnished strands and ran downstairs to restore them to their silvery white sparkle.

Soon I was playing around with various methods of cleaning tarnished silver like a kid who needed a science fair project.  

I used baking soda, vinegar, salt and boiling water in an aluminum pie tin first.  Which worked. Then I grabbed my almost empty jar of Wright's Silver Creme.  That worked too.  Both required some scrubbing/polishing to fully shine the various bits I'd gathered though.

 Sparkly fresh and lovely silver now resides at our cottage.  Even it it is just plate, it's still pretty.

Chemistry was my least favorite class in high school.  I just never "got" it. But just like that science fair kid, I had to know why such a simple group of kitchen essentials worked so well.

I bravely googled "silver baking soda aluminum equation" though.  I do know about oxidation and reduction processes from years of firing pottery, so it made sense after a bit of reading.  I'm now smarter than I was when I woke up this morning.

I also now have a new way of cleaning my silverware--because I do use silverware because I like it so much more than stainless--that will be less tedious than polishing them individually.

My necklaces look lovely and fresh.  I decided I really like the twenty inch length.  

Coincidentally, I can report that metal around my neck gets REALLY cold when you are shoveling snow in a denim jacket instead of a winter coat!

Our sunny weather is causing the icicles come crashing off the roof onto the snow below.  In other random news, an icicle is hanging from a branch of the sugar maple.  I can't think of anytime I've never seen an icicle on a tree (other than our blown glass icicles on our Christmas tree). I can only speculate that a bit of snow on the branch gradually melted and the temps were just cold enough to refreeze it. Who knows?!

Hang in there.  Spring is almost almost almost here!

Thoughts from a girl with a leaf rake

I raked leaves today.  The sound a leaf rake makes is characteristic of autumn to me.  A metallic scratchiness as I gathered cherry leaves that fell today onto our brick patio.  Quieter on the lawn as I raked a random collection of leaves into a pile. When I switched from my metal rake to a slim rake with plastic tines as I attempted to clear apple leaves that have begun falling into the raspberry bed, it was so quiet that I could hear other leaves falling in the yard and a few swirls of leaves as the breeze moved them along paths predetermined by physics.  No power needed to fuel my rake beyond a few calories I could easily spare.  No blast of noise to be heard a block away.   

I raked leaves today.  Not for the first time this season.  These leaves are destined to be mulched and added to our compost pile.  All that energy wasn't going into body bags headed into the landfill.  These leaves were my yearly "brown" treasure to balance the "green" contribution to compost. Yeah, there were some bags that went curbside last week when the compost bin seemed full.  But a week and a soaking rainstorm has settled it enough that I can see there's room for more.  These leaves will become a rich, dark, organic addition spread throughout the yard next spring.  Magically, these apparently dead leaves will be transformed into white peonies, pink roses, tender lettuce, tart cherry tomatoes and fried zucchini slices. I don't have to do anything but put them in a pile.  Worms and bacteria will do the rest. 

I raked leaves today.  They weren't as pretty as the glowing orange leaves from the sugar maple so lovely that I took reference photos of them for a future watercolor painting.  The simple forms of the yellow-gold cherry leaves couldn't compete with the huge heart-shaped leaves from the redbud.  But there was one oak leaf easily as large as my footprint that steadfastedly refused to be added to any pile.  It was a nondescript simple unlovely brown escapee that seemed destined to reside in its own world quite separate from the smaller hawthorn and apple leaves. I was good with that.  The simple truth is that there will be more leaves to be raked.  I will have other chances to get every. single. leaf.  But not yet.  My garden looks like autumn, leaves nestling in nooks between rocks that will be challenging to clear, a few late-blooming mums.  And roses! and petunias! and a purple alyssum seedling that chose November in which to bloom. An odd mix of spring, summer and fall jumbled together.  Maybe it's okay to be a little ragged and a tad unkempt and a bit out-of-step as we prepare ourselves for challenges ahead. Maybe it's supposed to be that way.

I raked leaves today.  I was cold enough to need my heather-blue knit vest indoors, but I was glowingly warm from a bit of exercise on a mild sunny day outdoors.  Better yet, I felt relaxed and happy.  Mother Nature and I were in harmony.  We'd collaborated.  She dropped the leaves so  I could rake them into piles.  She stopped the photosynthesis so I could enjoy the colors hidden in the leaves since springtime.  She offered lessons on change, on mindfulness, on responsibility and I absorbed them.  

I raked leaves today.  It was a good day.

What Word is 2021?

Meadowsweet Cottage

I like having a thought that can inspire me for the year ahead.  Even better if it's a single word that encapsulates goal and ambitions.

I really thought Vision was perfect way back last January given that 20/20 is a solid benchmark at one's optometrist. And maybe it was a good thought, although it didn't work out quite the way any of us thought. It's too bad there wasn't more vision utilized as challenges appeared.  Too bad that people didn't look ahead and think.

This year?  I'm afraid to hope.  Well, not entirely true.  I'm wary and afraid to hope too much. So I don't want a word with too much optimism for fear that I might jinx myself.

 Currently I'm thinking that Choice may be a good reminder for 2021. It's a stand-back-and-think-about-it kind of word.  It's a word for being proactive rather than reacting thoughtlessly.  It's goal-oriented.

I think that our choices reflect our inner person.  Who we truly are deep down in our individual core. They reflect our principles, our lines in the sand as well as what we are willing to trade for what we want.

Oh sure, some decisions are trivial and mundane.  Or we think they are and then find that even those add up eventually.

Others can be life changing.

Our choices define us.  They define our future.  They shepherd us toward a goal.

I truly hope that having Choice as my touchstone might make me think a bit harder, reflect a bit deeper, examine closely.  

We all are going to have a lot of choices this year that are going to shape society and influence the way history looks back on us.  Reconciliation?  Consequences?  Responsibility?  Independence? 

Choice is never about the past, but rather the continuing saga of our lives. Choice moves us forward, or sideways or spins us around dizzily.  Choice can be risky or cautious.  We can be unsure as we choose and trust that things will work out.  We can choose to change our minds if our original choice proves unwise.

Anyone else choose a word this year?

p.s.  I wrote this on January 1, intending to edit it, thinking that perhaps a different word would emerge.  But after yesterday's shameful events in our nation's capital, I think that perhaps Choice was the perfect word and my thoughts need no editing.

16 for 2016. Well, almost.

Oh golly, it's been so long since I've posted that I'm having a hard time actually writing something, anything, without editing it before I've even finished a sentence!  But, hey, that now that I've finished one whole sentence the rest should be easy, right?

I've been crafting my own personal bucket list for the year and naturally I got a wild hare to have sixteen items.  Because Twenty Sixteen!

So far though, I only have twelve thingies on it.  Which is great because now I have room to add great ideas as they occur to me.

Some goals were no-brainers...like realizing that I am determined to meet my cousin Linda who loves thrifting as much as I do (even if she is a genius at seeing and snapping up great buys) and attend either the Alameda Flea Market or the one on Treasure Island with her. We've been trying to get there for a few years without notable success so I've moved it way high on my priority list.

Other easy-peasy ones:  camping (because that's on my list every year) and finishing my Irish Chain quilt (the top is one hundred percent pieced so backing, batting and quilting are next).

Some are from the To-Do list, which shouldn't really be part of a bucket list, BUT...checking them off would make my life so much nicer.  It would be great if our master bath toilet actually flushed reliably on the first try.  Equally lovely would be a garage door opener that closed.  Currently I hold the button down for eighteen seconds while it closes and then depart the garage via the small garage door.  I'm grateful that it opens without incident, but holding that button down is getting old, old, old.

I even surprised myself by realizing that I want to volunteer by either using my DIY skills for Habitat or exercising my bent for all things vintage (history major here) by linking up with the historical society.  Leading a walking tour of our historical districts would suit me just fine.

Also, I plan to polish up my hostessing skills and revive Game Night for the neighborhood.  Time to make plans and send invitations.  (Right after I embark on a major house cleaning. Yeah, I know the neighbors would enjoy themselves in a slightly-cluttered house as much as a nice tidy one, but otherwise my sweetie will drive me insane with last-minute cleaning just when I need to focus on final party prep.  Truthfully, it wouldn't hurt me one little bit to organize myself enough to have a company-ready home most the time.  In fact, it would probably make me feel pretty good.)  But I digress.

You may have noticed these don't add up to twelve.  Could be you'll hear about the other ideas on the 2016 list when they become reality.  Wish me luck!

I'm now hitting the Publish button.  (Not waiting on photos.  Not going over it and over it with endless edits.  Otherwise this will join the other one hundred-fifty posts in my Drafts folder.)


Stay shiny, be inspired, focus on the good, enjoy life,
 

The Best Things About a New Year

I loved the quarter system in college.  Every nine weeks I got to buy new spiral bound notebooks with not a mark in them.  No matter what grades I'd earned in the previous quarter, there was the possibility of straight A's. Unknown professors with different styles of teaching.  Subjects that I'd never considered taking--like design, environmental horticulture, beginning art, veg crops or Chinese history--offered diversity.

I love fresh starts, possibilities uncluttered by baggage, the space to dream large. 

Then too, it's amazing at year's end to look back at what I've accomplished--especially since I frequently astonish myself by the volume I've completed.  Then there are always those high-priority tasks that somehow go begging for years.  I'm both encouraged and motivated.

Although I spend a lot of time during the eight months when I can actually hand's-on play-in-the-dirt in the high desert thinking about plants, it's that slim slice of time every year as I put the garden to bed when I learn the most.  It's enlightening, taking stock of failures and successes, planning for the future. 

So I'm looking backwards at 2014, even while I'm hanging up that new calendar.  I'm rummaging through the drawers and closets, discovering unfinished crafts and ideas and then curling up watching Firefly (for the fifth time) as I quilt, embroider, stitch and hem.

I'm just--just barely--disciplined enough to enjoy the satisfaction of completing a wall-hanging and packing it away until next autumn. But, trust me, my brain is busily and enthusiastically planning an assault on myriad fronts.  Some painting, lots of embroidery, sewing and more sewing.  Definitely planning for next Christmas--it's never too early and sometimes even a year ahead can be a bit too late!  Some big tasks, some itty-bitty ones.  Some for my own satisfaction, some as gifts, some as just a way to work out a challenge.  A visit to the garden store for seeds is in order.  Gift certificates to be redeemed.  Christmas money to be wisely used--membership at the scrapbook store so I can use workshop space and tools throughout the year, perhaps some new tools (because Santa somehow forgot to pack the requested clamps on his sleigh), and let us not forget some new boots to stomp out the cold weather blues.

So farewell, old, and welcome, new.  Twenty-fifteen could be the best year ever.  The potential is there.  It's fresh and shiny and just waiting for us!

May some of our dreams come true, may there be more happy than sad, may we choose to grow in wisdom and grace as life teaches us new lessons.

Happy New Year from my cottage to your casa,

Reflections on Blogging in 2013

Thirty-three posts in 2013 isn't bad.

It's not great but it's much better than 2012 when my sweetie's health and chemo weekends occupied my time and energy and many posts were just my weekly guidepost quote.  Can I just say how grateful I am for clear CAT scans and minimal doctor visits?!  To relax into "normal" without that constant worry is a huge gift that I'm enjoying while I can.  I was nervously productive in waiting rooms and chemo suites--you should see how many yoyo's I sewed and the embroidery I stitched--but the joy wasn't there so I never blogged about any of it.

My non-blogging excuses in 2013 revolved around a malfunctioning camera; no one wants to see blurry photos.  Thankfully another camera appeared into my life (I apparently can't write without a photo to inspire me).  Since I killed the first camera by taking it to a foggy, windy, sandy beach you might think that Camera Numero Dos would be carefully shielded from the elements.  Heh, heh--maybe not. I took it with me last week so I could take photos of the grands on a winter beach.

Now I'm getting error message 6120 and soon will be delving into the mysteries of digital camera mechanics.  The photo above was totally worth it though!  Even though the camera whirs before giving me access and the lens cap only half works, it focuses.  I can live with that. 

 

I've done the SLR thing with a film camera and I'd rather not haul anything bulky so no expensive DSLR's are in my future. I'm happy with my simple cell to no smartphones either.  Point-and-shoots suit me.  And my almost-fully-functional camera will keep me blogging.

I've noticed that many bloggers have dropped off the blogoscope in the past couple years.  Have you seen that too or is it only my imagination? I know that as I read the "big bloggers" with their daily posts and amazing projects I get a little discouraged sometimes.  I can't compete with their readership or productivity.

Maybe you feel the same way, but you know what?  Most of them have good ideas but they don't feel like friends. You do.  I miss catching up regularly with my cherished online friends as they paint, build, re-arrange, glue gun, plant, harvest, decorate and share their lives.  I enjoy your comments and love to comment on your doings too.  It's a dialogue that just doesn't happen with mega-bloggers, as least for me.

Let's think of ourselves as filling a niche!  The friendship/inspiration/encouragement niche--it's far more important to me than catching up on the latest decorating trends.  Keep on blogging so I can keep on reading and commenting and loving you from afar.

I confesss that I've lagged in the blogging department because I'm so far behind the decorating curve that I feel out of it.  My style will never see me willingly live with a stainless steel fridge or paint one single thing in my house gray or decorate with chevrons.  Also, I lived through mid-century modern once and once was enough.  I like colorful interiors with plenty of art and furniture that tells a story.  I like cottage and country and flowers.  I might just be a few decades ahead of the latest trends in my hopeless enjoyment of unpainted oak, white appliances and brass.  I'm grateful that there are a few others out there who love the same cheery things I do. And happy some friends are showing me how to embrace just enough change and challenge myself.

Facebook and Pinterest have vacuumed up some of our precious blogging time.  It's soooo easy to make a short  Facebook entry to let family know what I'm doing.  I spend time on Pinterest regularly, but it's been solid inspiration rather than pipedreams.  I have a slew of projects that came right from my boards.  Finished projects, people!   

As I wrote this, I figured I should logically add a Pinterest button.  Now you can peek at my boards! 'Cause I figured out how to add one to my homepage...all by myself.  I totally rock.


There were twenty-three drafts in 2013 (as oppposed to forty-eight in 2012!) that never saw the light of a computer monitor. Subjects ranging from Mr. Roger's birthday to the truth about chickens.  No loss.

But there's a how-to draft showing my ever-improving velvet pumpkin skills.  A draft featuring a colorful new guest room quilt--my first quilt made for an actual bed (not a picnic or a wall hanging or a holiday pillow).  Also, helping to make my niece's dream wedding a reality was a highlight and I've barely shared it.  Especially since it sparked a long-dormant dream into the planning stages of creative and hopefully lucrative fun.  I definitely must turn some of the drafts into published posts.

So there you have it.  Looking back at what I did right--and what I could have done better--always helps me make my fresh starts more productive.  I really want to live my mantra for this year!

Be (INSPIRE)d,
 

Things I Love - Autumn Edition

I enjoy living in a four-season town. Of course, I love summer the bestest--but there are still plenty of things to love about the other three seasons. Which is lucky because I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings.

So...things I'm currently loving about Autumn:

• Using the oven again..
• Pumpkin soup.
• Chile Chicken Cheese enchiladas.  
• Not having to think about creative ways to use up ripe peaches for another whole year.
• Nights cool enough to sleep with a comforter on the bed.
• A crystalline Lilypad Pond.
• Baby goldfish unexpectedly appearing in the pond.
• Noming on golden raspberries every time I use the garden gate.
• Finding flat stones to replace the river rock gravel around the pond.
• Embracing a weekly schedule of chores and delighting in how productive I feel.  And how nice the cottage looks.
• Enjoying our garden and making mental notes for next year.
• Giving the new Halloween silhouette decorations a whirl.
• The beginnings of fall color in the maples, oaks and aspens.  Especially aspens.
• Morning light that's perfect for sewing.
• An ever-increasing pile of quilt blocks.
• Decorating the mantel for autumn.
• Using my upcycled-down (not to be confused with upside-down) pillow forms for the first time.
• Buying new "teacher" shoes to replace my well-worn and well-loved oldies.
• The new LED light fixture in our walk-in closet.
• My newly-reupholstered footstool.
• Yellow chrysanthemums and purple violas. 
• Yellow rabbitbrush.

I think autumn is wondrously beautiful in my little corner of the world.

Bring joy,

January is Just Plain Two-Faced

January means my birthday (yes, it IS about the presents actually), new seed catalogs, sunny days, turquoise snowmen decor and a bit more sunlight each day.

It also means the IRS is looming along with storm clouds, black ice, still-short days, and post-holiday letdown. Oh, and let's not forget Norovirus and lots of jolly headaches.

January:  I love it and I hate it.

If I had my druthers, I'd hibernate.  God knows I ate enough to live on my fat reserves for a month or two.

I fight against the dark days with a plethora of crafts--if I'm not sewing, then I'm crocheting, painting or embroidering. Which I'd love to show you but that nasty thing called My Job means there's not enough daylight to take decent photos.  (Whine, whine, whine.)

Maybe you enjoy putting away Christmas and having a sparsely decorated haven, but I miss the color and excitement.  (I'm shallow that way.)

Eventually the snowmen, snowladies and snowflakes, no matter how turquoise and sparkly, weren't cutting it and I broke out the Valentine goodies a week early just to save myself from January self-medication (Wine, wine, wine--or in my case, sparkling pear juice in a goblet.  Yes, I live on the edge.)

Anyway, it's not quite February yet but I'm enjoying my crocheted, glass, fabric or painted wood hearts along with little old valentines, pretty candles, red vases, and silver-framed family photos.  Especially the family photos.

And pink silk tulips since there's not a sign of springtime outside.  Said tulips which are behaving themselves nicely now that I've super-glued three blossoms onto their stems so they can't pop off when I shower the dust off them.  I had thought of gorilla-glueing them but felt that might be overkill. 

If the Loc-Tite works, I'm going to do the same to the stray fir branches belonging to my mantel garland.  (End of January is a great time to plan ahead for Christmas.)  I've finished so many holiday projects recently that I feel like I'm eleven months ahead instead of one month behind.  Sadly, it feels very very wrong to even think about posting about Christmas projects in January.  Or February.  Or any month except December.

So I'm plotting some Valentine/craft posts that might see the light of day.

Or not.

It depends on the Photo gods.  I might be pouting over the fact that my family didn't get my subtle hints about wanting a new camera, but hey there's an anniversary coming up  need some good daylight so I can flaunt a new chalkboard or two, some very Pinteresting yoyo-and-button hearts and a project created by upcycling some roadkill and an old mattress.

I know it sounds like a tease, but actually really I'm sort of cheerleading myself into cranking out some creativity and posting. 

Bring Joy,

My 2013 Inspiration

Bring Joy.

It's a phrase that has been popping up in front of my eyeballs on reader boards, holiday gift wrap and Christmas newsletters.  When the Universe chooses to send me messages, I know enough to listen!

I love the fact that each time I saw "bring joy" (or a variation thereof) it resonated so strongly with me.  I feel like it chose me rather than vice versa.

Bring.      Joy. 

Two separate words.  It's the "bring" that inspires and challenges me.  I have plenty of internal delight in my life and I need to externalize it.

My brain is already whirling with ways to fulfill it: extra-clean surfaces to delight my poor long-suffering husband who lives with my enthusiastically creative messes, small birthday treats for friends near and far, spreading random acts of kindness in unexpected places, fluffing my home and my workplace to provide a nourishing environment, disciplining my inner life to match the outer.  Or should that be making my outer jive with my inner?    So many possibilities!



So I'm on a mission for Twenty-Thirteen.  What a challenge to live up to!  Wish me luck.

Bring joy,
 

Even Stevens

I posted exactly forty-seven times this year. I was surprised--almost a post a week, which is pretty good considering the amount of time and energy that have gone into family health issues rather than into blogging.  And that Pinterest and I are good friends. 

But I must admit that I have forty-eight drafts that never saw the light of day.  Good ideas without photos.  Good ideas with photos that aren't in focus.  Or good ideas that suffered from a lack of time.  (My family has this idea that they deserve dinner every night.  Alas.) 

I think that's a pretty good excuse.  Still, forty-eight drafts?  Ack!  Major waste.

So rather than end the year 47 to 48, I've added this to my yearly total (because it's not quite midnight in the Biggest Little City) so that at least the drafts don't win. I've sacrificed going downtown in nine degree weather to watch the incredible fireworks display just so that I can end at Even Stevens. 

Not really.  I'm not crazy about crowds or freezing my tootsies off.

"It is what it is."  

Part "carpe diem", part "live in the moment".   A reminder to me that life isn't perfect but I need to accept it as the gift it is, and enjoy it anyway.

Bring joy,
 

Ten Eleven Twelve

That would be today: October 11, 2012.  If you live in the States.

Elsewhere it would be Eleven Ten Twelve and that just doesn't have the same ring to it.  Guess they'll be celebrating on November tenth instead.

Now I'm eagerly awaiting Twelve Twelve Twelve.  Thank heavens that date works no matter what country you inhabit.  Does this make me a numbers nerd?  Or merely easily amused?

What about if I was just thinking that next year we'll have Eleven Twelve Thirteen?  And Twelve Thirteen Fourteen the year after.  But after that we'll have to find some other cool calendar numbers to play with. 

I think perhaps Official Number Nerd.  Counting on it.

Randomly,
 

Random Thoughts For a Monday

I finally found something that chickens won't eat--tomato worms. We tossed three in the run and the girls decided that these were alien bugs were to be avoided at all costs. They huddled in the back corner until I took pity on them and removed the offending hornworms. This from hens that regard a live mouse as an opportunity for an all-out rugby scrum where the lucky victor gets to swallow the mouse whole and strut around with the tail handing out of her beak.

You can hear autumn approaching.  No, it's true.  I can lie in bed on a cool, slightly nippy morning (nippy is the technical term for thinking about putting on a light hoodie for my morning walk but deciding not to) and I can hear the whoosh of cars on the not-so-close roads and the trains sound much clearer as they clack and rattle through town.  But songbird chatter?  Far and few between.  I'll know it's fall for sure when I hear the Canada geese honking as they fly over.

I use Blogger Drafts as a convenient Note To Myself.  Today I started composing a post that will never be published (is that why they call it a draft?) with photos of garden plants to be moved, comments on what I want to change next year, and photos of new mums and recent delphinium acquisitions that I know I'll forget by next spring.

I have eighty-nine other drafts on Blogger that are not Notes to Myself.  Someday I'll either publish when I have the photos done (The Truth About Chickens) or delete (cryptically entitled Photo C) or save to finish writing (The Guest Room).  Am I the only one with a gazillion unfinished posts?

I sang or hummed songs from movies all day.  If I Only Had a Brain from The Wizard of Oz...I Have a Dream from Mamma Mia...This Land is Mine from Exodus. 

Election season = Too many signs cluttering up the neighborhood and negative, name-calling, finger-pointing ads on TV.  Sigh.

I love Pinterest.  It gives purpose to my blog-hopping, Google Reading, internet-surfing existence.

The metal dog tag from PetSmart turned Kharma's white neck ruff to gray.  I could seal the tag with a nice spray of Clear Coat.  Or wash her daily.  Or I could just stew about it for months every time I notice my gray-necked, unwashed dog.  Now that I think of it, I really should make another Note To Myself in Blogger.

Life has plenty of challenges lately, but I never have trouble falling asleep now that I end my day thinking of everything I'm thankful for.  I'll be adding Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep from White Christmas to the songs I hum tomorrow.

Final thought:  Why did I think I knew how to embed YouTube videos so you could hear the songs if you wanted?  Just because I've done it before.  I'm getting error messages when I try to click on the link--I guess I'll just figure that you all are capable of finding them for yourselves.  Problem solved!

Gratefully,

A Brilliant Countdown

It seems like all my favorite parodies are Beyonce-based.  All the Wrinkled Ladies  had me ROTFLMAO. Knowing that I too could have finally been a backup dancer was possibly the highlight of my year.

This is the latest one I ran across and it's mesmerizing. Who knew that Snuggies could be a fashion statement in a music video?!
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!  Don't you think he did an amazing job?  I wish I was that clever/bored/talented/motivated.

 

Twenty-Eleven

A year of roses blooming wildly, sweet kisses, wagging dog tales, an empty nest 2.0, painted furniture, blackboard paint, to-do lists, green leaves and blue skies, walks with friends, a camping trip, birthday parties, family reunions, fresh eggs, compost, sun-dried towels, smoothies, new sheets, health worries, visits, high school, inspiration, tweets, Facebook, airport runs, smiles, crazy weather, fireworks, fires, fresh starts and sad endings, quilt fabrics, new art, daydreams, nightmares, holding hands, disappointments, welcome surprises, fun, laughter. 

The best of 2011? A tie between reconnecting with my cousins and knowing my BIL was going to recover. 


The worst?  Let's just say there are challenges ahead and we have our fingers crossed.  But then, all of us are facing problems either large or small, all of the time.  Some things I did right.  Some times I dropped the ball.  Next year I'll do better.  I'm making plans already; I love a fresh slate!

Clink your glass to the year that's passing,
Cheers!

I Brought Summer With Me

I'm taking credit for the ninety-degree temperatures here in the Portland area. I mean where else did it come from?

In other thoughts from the Pacific Northwest:

• I guess Farmers Markets are overpriced everywhere, not just Reno.  Earlier this week I plucked blackberries from a vine growing wild vs $3 a pint this morning?!  I used to rationalize it that I was subsidizing the farmers directly.  That was when we actually had a disposable income.
• I can get my Winco fix here.  I was always a Raley's gal but once I discovered Winco's bulk section I changed over quickly.  Winco may be Oregon's best export!
• Living in Reno it's rare to meet a fellow blogger.  Here I got to meet Heather from My Everyday Graces.  She's just as wonderful as I'd imagined! 
• Blogging seems to be harder since the days go faster with a teen around.  Otherwise I'd have a post up about Heather already.  And how pretty her hens' eggs are (no offense to the Bombshells). And the Farmers Market.  And one about the house with the purple door.
• I have a map showing bike paths--guess what I'm going to be doing next week?
• I'm capable of waking up at 6 a.m.  It's worth getting up to enjoy the cool mornings as well as beating the rush hour on the school run.
• I had two monrings of admiring Mt. Hood on one stretch of road.  I'm hoping for more if the smoke clears.  Fires are the worst part of summer-turning-to-autumn in the West.
• I'm trying hard to focus on the delicious Gravenstein apples we bought this morning instead of missing the Balloon Races with my walking partners this morning.  The Glow.  Dawn Patrol.  Apple Crisp for dessert and applesauce this week is a pretty fair trade-off.  My family loves those Gravensteins!

That's a positive note to end on.  And the news from San Diego continues to be upbeat and encouraging.   Good news all around!

I'm Not A Solo Sailor

Every Friday night I scour craigslist for garage sales. And every Saturday I stay home instead and wonder what treasures I missed out on. It turns out I can't make myself go garage sale-ing solo. Thank heavens for summer because my young walking partner loves yard sales too!

That said, we didn't find much to set our hearts a-flutter today. Three hours and we came home with a whopping two items each. Sad, isn't it? I do better at Goodwill.  And the ReStore.

Two posts in one day and not a picture to be found.  What's up with that?  You guessed it!  My camera batteries are recharging.  That's okay with me--photos of my air gap and the replacement shovel I found for the Queen Mother aren't exactly inspiring!

Here are our true finds:

The best quote of the day, 

" 'Antiques and collectibles' are code for 'really expensive.' "

Second-best quote (and good advice for anyone having a yard sale):

  "What people are asking for something and what they actually sell it for are two different things."

The First Day

Is the first day of summer vacation the last (very short) day of school with the accompanying giddy feeling of complete freedom?

Or is it the first full day when you wake up in the morning knowing that there are beaucoup of these days strung like baroque pearls ahead of you?

Does it matter?

Yes.

These are weighty questions, my friends. 

Let the wild rumpus begin!

TGIF...And Then Some

I'm exhausted, beaten to a frazzle, limp, energy-poor and unable even think of cooking dinner...or at least I was until I realized that tomorrow is Saturday (cue angelic choir) and

• A. I need to get more layer pellet (poultry-speak for chicken feed) which means that 
• B. I will be very close to the ReStore and I can just feel that something good awaits me there and 
• C. the ReStore is right next to my favorite closeout fabric shop. 
• not to mention that D. SUMMER VACATION STARTS THURSDAY so I'll obviously need fabric for one of my myriad summer projects.

Right?  The universe has obviously handed me une carte blanche otherwise known as a blank check, but which I prefer to think of as a no-limit debit card.  (Blank checks are so last millenium.)  I can hardly wait!

And I found enough energy while I was tossing scraps to our feathered composters to finally take photos of a previously unoccupied fixer-upper that a young family has moved into.  I don't know their name yet, but I do know that their young'uns generate quite a fuss around feeding time.

Hoping that your Friday left you with plenty of enthusiasm for the weekend,

An Award

To: Meadowsweet Cottage
From: pogonip

Congratulations!

The Bad Blogger Award  
(Nope, too negative--and I don't do negative.)

The January Doldums Award
(Hmm, truthful, but lacking that je ne sais quoi. Even adding some fancy francais won't help.)

The Currently-Uninspired-But-I-Know-You'll-Think-of-Something-Soon! Award
(Yep, that pretty much fits.)

 There are lots of projects that are almost, but not quite, finished due to cold weather.  It's been much more fun to sit in a nice cozy home with Google Reader and revel in other bloggers DIYs.

There are other ideas that have been set aside while enjoying visitors and the December holidays.  My brain is still having trouble switching over to lacy pink Valentine thoughts and twittery flowering springtime bunnies.

If you're thinking to yourself, "Pshaw." And/or "What a load of bunk!"  you'd be right.  I have a truckload of excuses ranging from surprise visits to computer trouble, but I have to admit that the real actual trouble is that  I'm bogged down in  a bit of a blogging slump.  They happen to us all.

It's true that I need to put one more coat of polycrylic on the desk redo and then somehow stage it for photos in our overcrowded and cluttered garage.  And if I could remember where I put the silver leaf I could finish the last step in my Dollar Store to mercury glass birdies.  Or I could show you my holiday redwork embroidery that warmed my heart if I hadn't given it all away before I took photos.  I'm much better at blogging when I can share a project with you all.

I just don't  know what's happened to my motivation.  As Malvina Reynolds put it in one of her songs, My get up and go has got up and went.

I can't blame the weather because this last week was positively springlike with melting pondwater, singing songbirds and balmy weather that was pretty unusual for a northern Nevada January.  (Not that I dislike our normal January weather which previously brought two ethereal days of pogonip.)

I'm like a torpid old lizard, too cold to move.  I need to shake my boo-tay, use it or lose it, move and groove.  I've been sitting in one place way too long.  I could use someone to drag me outdoors for a long heartwarming hike.  

I'm suffering from a lack of exercise, is all.  And you kind folks have suffered through my rambling pity party as my fingers on the keyboard worked through the how's and why's of my little slump.
 
Insert Giant cleansing breath here.  Ahhhhh.  That feels much better.  

Next up:  a pre-dinner jog around the block and crafting a post about my January snowlady mantel.  I'm leery of promising anything, but I'm trusting that my run will provide enough energy to spark my brain cells into some sort of creativity.


Wish me luck!