Another Grey Monday...

Here it is the Monday before Thanksgiving and it feels very strange that I am not having dinner here. I am a little disoriented with the change...not sure how I feel about it. It happened because of all of the changes that took place in my house over the past few months. It began with my husband and son playing at remodeling my kitchen last November, yes a year ago. It never got really finished, it should have never been started...and that's all I am going to say about that. Then I moved my studio into the living room during the summer. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but as soon as I did it I knew it was a mistake...too late, I gave up my original room. The room I am in now just is not conducive for quiet thinking or planning and carrying out whatever, I am less productive than ever...My family still thinks living room... they walk in, open the blinds or the door, stop and talk, the wood stove needs to be fed , it is off the kitchen, just a wrong move...so I am still working this out...a cause of much frustration to be sure. The ideal would be an addition on my home, but of course, that won't be happening...Too bad, because it looks great in my head.

So dinner will be at my daughter's house and that will be OK. Has to be as not much I can do about it now. It did not go unnoticed by my kids that the house shrank considerably this year. I will still be doing some cooking here and schlep it all over there.

Picked up my knitting this evening and made some significant progress for which I am pleased. So if I can keep up the pace...

I'd like to end my post today by sharing a nice story I read online today that will make you smile...

Have a good evening. Thanks for reading, although I don't think anybody is...In any case, peace to any one who happens by...

Sunday Blues

Not sure what more to write about. So this may be short. Went to church this morning. After I took a ride and visited a few antique shops. I love doing that. I don't buy anything unless it is so inexpensive and I absolutely love it. I just like to browse kind of absently. I then came home and have just again done nothing. I suppose I really celebrated the Sabbath by not doing anything. Why do I always think I should be doing something. I am still tired and looking forward to bed. So I am either fighting a cold or flu( hope not ) or I am depressed, maybe both. If it gets darker any earlier I might as well not even get out of bed. I am affected by the winter darkness but I have a propensity for depression anyway. Nothing to be ashamed of, it is what it is...So I am feeling like I lead a pretty boring life these days, I can't seem to find anything to write about. That's it. Running out of steam. Have a good evening. Thanks for reading.

Silent Saturday

Didn't get much accomplished today and have been pretty quiet all day... And seriously have nothing to write about. I did an errand and came home and have been dozing most of the night...and as soon as I can, I am going to bed. Serious fatigue...So I have posted.
Thanks for checking in. Have a good evening. Peace

Painting Days...

I met my friends at the Botanical Center this afternoon. It is located within Roger Williams Park and Zoo in the city of Providence. A gem in the middle of the city that has been around as long as I can remember and then some. I had to stop for geese crossing on the way in and the way out. Pretty funny if you are a patient soul but then there were the people who were speeding by and really didn't care if they hit a goose or not, they were pretty scary people to begin with in my book as he was behind me for a whileand was raging at a light because the cars in front of me were not moving fast enough for him, so he began gesturing...then there was the ignoramus that revved his motor and leaned on his horn at this point when O took the photo. He was coming from the other direction...I on the other hand seized the opportunity to turn it into a photo op and take photos of the parade...they were great. Unless you are giving birth or in a rescue vehicle, nothing is that important. Everyone is in a hurry, in a rush. Sad really as well as frustrating when one doesn't mind being slowed down...

The Botanical Center was sporting Poinsettias today. We walked around and noticed the changes in the plants from when we were there 2 weeks ago. We took lots of pictures. For example the amazing bloom on this banana plant opened. The air in there feels good to breath, pure oxygen, clean because of all the plants.

We painted while activity was going on around us. I am beginning to feel more comfortable with that, not so self conscious. I am finding that I am so involved with what I am doing that I barely know someone is walking by. So that is an improvement. I was working on this scene.
. The colors of the leaves and the dried places where the palms had broken off I found interesting. So my painting was more of an exploration forcing me to really look at it and to pick out each of the leaves and those things on the bottom of the palm tree, which I wish I knew what they are called. But now this will prompt me to do research and find out the answers to my questions. There was also a commercial being filmed advertising a Poinsettia Sale coming up at URI's East Farm Horticultural Facility. There was also a tour with a group of middle school kids. So today was a busy day there and a little hard to settle down. Took me a while... It was a good time, asking each other what do you think, conversation, painting tips shared, and eating a bagged lunch there is a treat. It is like being on a picnic. Here is Cindy painting.



I have posted the girls in a few days but this was funny yesterday. They looked like they were following a tennis match...but in reality they where watching my husband eating peanut butter and crackers. They missed nothing. I am not sure if they even blinked.


Thanks for reading. Peace.

Amy's Long Night...

I am tired this evening because I have gone to bed late for days now. First I was stalking the meteor showers then last night my old girl, Amy was up for hours trying to cough something up. I didn't know what to do for her other than pet her head and tell her it was going to be OK...not likely, she is 13 and a half. She is getting tinier and gaunt looking I noticed today and she didn't hear me tell her something until I raised my voice...she seems better today. Her nails were quite long so she visited the groomer for a manicure. I had let them go too long because I am afraid to cut her nails. Maggie won't let me , partly because I am just plain fearful of hurting them. So it presents a problem. So she is comfortable and is curled up on her bed and soundly sleeping. I hope she continues through the night like this. And with that I am finished for today, she is looking too comfortable to ignore the fact I need to also go and get comfortable. I love my dogs.

I finished the banana leaf painting exercise. Pleased with it and the things I learned. Back to the Botanical Center tomorrow to meet my friend and paint for the afternoon. It feels so good to be painting again...

Have a good evening. Thanks for reading. Peace.

Fun in the Afternoon

My daughter had a day off from work today which is all too rare. She is a hard worker, a single Mom to three young men, two in college and one on his way in to the Army after the holidays. Oh yes, and a Bulldog. Up to recently she didn't really have anything that she could just sit and relax and do that was just for her. She gardens and loves it but this is New England and the growing season isn't that long.

I have been knitting things and giving them to her as gifts over the years and she wears them all proudly...ahem, all except one. She chose a sweater, a beautiful Aran pullover with equally beautiful yarn. She purchased all of this and it was agreed that I would make it for her along with a 6 foot scarf( a least it seemed that long, also cabled). I finished it in record time and she was able to wear it that winter...that is until she decided to shrink it a wee bit...she forgot it and it went through a full wash cycle and into the dryer it went...it came out looking like a pot holder. It took a few days for her to tell me. I have no idea what she was thinking but she was sad enough without me going there. Now we are able to laugh, somewhat...She asked would I make it again. Answer from me, not on your life, kiddo. But I will teach you how to do it.


And teach I did. To date she had finished scarves, a felted bag, and a wonderful little sweater out of a Noro book she liked. She has found her way around the knitting world on the internet to purchased yarn and she has joined Ravelry. Her current project is on the cover of Fall '09 Interweave Knits. A very ambitious project at that, but she wants to knit what she likes and will wear. So I encouraged her to go for it. She cast on a week or so ago and her goal is to wear it this winter. So today after our respective errands we decided to hang out at my table and knit. She has learned well. She brought pastry, I made tea and we ate pastry, all of it.
My other daughter came in and we were telling stories,laughing, discussing disturbing news stories, and playing with dogs. Dogs, the great levelers when things get hard. Meanwhile she is trying to reach inch 19 on the back which means she can begin the raglan shaping. She made it. I on the other hand was trying to keep track of a Aran sleeve while we were having fun and I was missing a stitch.... I had to fix something this morning, and now I had to fix something else. So I ripped back and found the little stitch that somehow got included with a bobble...So I am back on my way and hopefully without anymore stops along the way.

So teach someone to knit. We are trying to entice Cheryl to come over to the knitting side. She is starting to feel left out. I was willing today but she wasn't. She knows that I am ready when she is.

Also made a trip to Joann's with my Granddaughter who likes to make jewelry. She was in need of supplies. I browsed through the 14.99 magazines. When did magazines get so expensive?

Passages this evening. A full day full of inspiration. Have a great evening and thanks for reading.Peace

Tired Tuesday

Well I am past the half way point...day 17. Some days it is pure stretch as to what to write about. Today was made up with doing some of what had to be done, some straitening out, some bill paying, library, purchase dog food, a few groceries and a bottle of aspirin...you know, stuff one just has to do. The library isn't really something I would put in the category of 'have to do', but I did have to pick up something I had requested...the music from the film 'Once'. So of course once there I couldn't leave with just one thing...I ended up leaving with 2 Nora Jones CD's, Eva Cassidy, Hillary James and Quincy Jones. Found the book Sunflowers on the shelf so that came home with me, as it is on my to read list. Then I brought home 2 movies Canvas and Howard's End. A trip to the library wouldn't be complete unless I stopped at the sale table...and of course I brought home Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love and Linda Novick's The Painting Path, both 1 dollar each. If that was not enough a friend called today and she told me she had listened to Larry Crabb's The Papa Prayer. I had a credit on i tunes, so I downloaded that and got it loaded on my i pod to listen while knitting or weaving. I brought home a lot of entertainment and all I spent was 2 dollars. The gift of a library...The i tunes was part of a gift card I got for Mothers Day. So a balance of enjoyable errands and the ones not quite so enjoyable...make it all palatable on these cold and dark days.

On the knitting note, picked the sleeve up and settled in to knit. Worked a few rows and looked at it and there it was, a mistake a few rows back...I have tried to isolate the 8 stitches and fix it that way but I keep making a mistake. That's it for today. Tomorrow I will deal with it. And with that I am finished with this post.

Thanks for reading. Peace.