Maggie Takes To Her Bed...

Maggie hasn't felt well for a few days or longer. My daughter had her Gamma Knife surgery this week. So I was noticing things, but not really seeing them as I was focused on Cheryl and the procedure coming up. What I did see was my dog was limping and having a hard time moving in general. Not all the time, it seemed to come and go. But when she wasn't racing me down the hall wall in the morning as I got out of bed I grew concerned. It is of Maggie's opinion that she should be fed before anything else occurs in the morning. I of course disagree. It is coffee for me and then food for her and Amy. But she didn't seem to care. She just stayed put. Anyway fast forward.

Gamma knife procedure is now 5 days old and she is doing well other than swelling that was expected. But yesterday my dog was having a hard time getting around and appeared to be in pain if I pet her face or touched her in anyway. She was lethargic, limping, and off her food. In the back of my mind was lyme disease. So off to the vet we went. Emergency visit, blood tests, thorough exam later, no to lyme(vet thought it was also)so more blood work, Oh God, do they have dishes here I can wash...The pain was a pretty bad ear infection. So now I wrestle with her to use an ear wash daily for two weeks followed with an antibiotic squeezed into both ears...she is not amused. As for the lameness, well all her blood work came back pretty good. But she is on medication for the pain and muscle relaxers. Who knew. So she is feeling good and looks happier but still favoring her leg but we will watch and see now and continue on the meds if need be.

I am getting nothing accomplished this summer. My looms remain untouched and I barely wet my brushes or draw. My gardens always look raggy from weeds. So much to do and just not getting anything done...Frustrating to be sure. Also not having an easy time uploading photos tonight. Trying to figure out how to get them directly from Picasa to blog rather than Picasa to My Pictures to blog.

The other day butterfly after butterfly arrived at my butterfly bush. This was just one of them.




Have a great day and thanks for reading.

Sails

My entry for Illustration Friday, my first actually. This is from a photo I took while visiting Galilee, RI. Then using watercolor I painted this. It is one of my favorite places here in RI where I can sit and have some clam cakes and chowder and watch the various types of boats, like kayaks, sailboats, pleasure boats , fishing boats and Block Island Ferry, all come and go.

Have a great day and thanks for visiting.

Grateful Days

Happy Birthday Cheryl!


Today is my daughter's birthday. I remember the first moment I held her. She would not be happy if I said how long ago, but as I did earlier this year, she too has had a major decade change...I still feel that same deep love today as then, when I hug her. But these days I hold her, and do not want to let go... June 13 she passed out while driving, her car flipped over and crashed in to a parked car( no one was in the other vehicle)...I was called to the hospital and was told she had had a brain bleed, which caused her pass out. I feared for her life. After further tests she was diagnosed with AVM.
We are still in the thick of it, and will be for a while. There is no such thing as a quick fix in this situation. But what is important is my daughter celebrated her life today! She is here with us. Her life and my grandsons life is upside down, she can not be alone, her car is gone, life is changed, her routine is upset, which she finds confusing. Her memory has gaps in it, sometimes words are hard to grab...But she is here...She has some treatments that are less than appealing for her to think about that will be coming up and still recouping, but she blew out her candles tonight.
I tell anyone who will listen to me, life is short. It can change in an instant. We are quite cognizant that this could have turned out very differently. But today, her birthday, we spent the afternoon together, on my deck, alone, just quietly talking or me listening, thankfully listening to this wonderful young woman. Thankful for her very life, thankful I could hold her in my heart and listen to her fears, her hopes and her thoughts about this new fork in her road.


I took her to one of her favorite spots to walk and just be, Meshanticut Lake, the other day. We took our time and we sat. She told me she thought this was the best view. So I took it, enlarged it and framed it. Now she has it to look at whenever.

There is allot more to say but for now this will do. I can write about her, the range of our emotions, fear, and the incredible kindness of everyone we know and some we don't know. Yes, I should like to say more about all of that. The funny thing is, and there is always a funny thing with me, it keeps me going. But when I began this blog she would ask me, when are you going to put me in your blog...Well, here she is, meet Cheryl.

Thanks for reading and have a great day. Prayer and good thoughts are welcome

All About Me...

Cindy tagged me for a meme. New one on me but I am game , I think...The rules: Posted here at the beginning. The player answers all questions. The player then chooses six people you want to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blog and leaving a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer. Not sure about the last part, the six people...it appears many have been tagged all ready. In any case let me begin:

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

We had just bought our home and moved into it the end of April of 1998. So ten years ago I was putting my house together and putting in a garden. At the same time my husband had gotten injured at work which ended up requiring surgery...Also it was life with a twelve year old girl...twelve going on 42. And I was knitting, spinning, and sewing( quilts and clothing) for my sanity.

2. What were 5 things on my to do list today?

For this whole week the focus has been on getting my vegetable garden going and cleaning and organizing my basement as well as finish the front walk way project. I also have a week long watercolor workshop coming up so I am readying my supplies. Not bad, I only needed three tubes of paint. I have everything else. I am also trying to work out a profile /name draft using the name of the weaving guild I belong to. A learning curve for me. Not something I know allot about but something I do want to learn. My to do list kind of runs along in my head. All of my projects are pretty big deals requiring allot of heavy work right now. So little weaving or drawing is going on, too tired at the end of the day.

3. What snacks do I enjoy?

Pop corn, watermelon, peanuts, peanut butter, toast and grape jam, and more fruit...

4. Where are some places I have lived?

Rhode Island

5. What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

I would pay off my home and give it to one of my daughters. I would pay off my other daughters home. Then buy the other three homes as well. In other words make sure each of my children had home security. Then I would decide where I would like to live...just as long as it was big enough to have a studio for art and weaving. A place for vegetable , flower and herb gardens. Sheep, goats, oh hell a few cows too... A place I could bring home what I want, dogs, chickens, or whatever. Then I would secure my children's and my grand children's education goals. It is all about security. Then I would really think about how I could help and make a difference. It would be nice to know that if I found a pressing need that I could do something. Not something I have given great thought to, however. Too practical I guess.

Ok, now here is the hard part for me, tagging someone, too shy I suppose for this sort of thing. The few I thought of have been tagged already. The others, well feel like I am intruding or something. Does one just e-mail someone and say you have been tagged? Well, consider yourself tagged. I am serious, take the burden from me...please!

Here is my Maggie doing one of her favorite activities, stretching on her back on the grass in the sun. She remained in this position long enough for me to run in the house , grab my camera and run back outside. She stayed like that as I shot a few photos of her, she was oblivious. Usually she follows me in the house. You know, I might be getting something to eat, wouldn't want to miss that...Anyway, pretty funny girl that Maggie. Don't you just wish you could do that? Anyway, have a great day and thanks for reading.

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is here. The gateway to summer, gardens, and cookouts. I have started in on my yard this week in between the rain, wind, and cool temps. I have been wanting to make a bed in my front yard along my imaginary walkway. I saw some indentations along the walkway and with shovel in hand , I began to uncover a real walkway of sorts. I found flagstone, bluestone I am told by my mason neighbor. So bluestone it is. But as you can see I have to make some decisions as to how to proceed with the probable mud. After much research I decided on raising the stone with sand, cover with yard fabric and the mulch in between the stone. The whole point of this was the flower bed but got a walkway out of it.
Then on to the vegetable garden. I began it a couple of years ago as a Lasagna Garden. It was amazing. Great yield, less watering was needed, and virtually no weeds. Last year my husband felt like doing the garden. He did it his way, turn over everything, planted and hope for the best. He had to water all the time, weeds took over and the yield was poor. Guess which way we are going this year? So I am ready with my mulching supplies, great homemade compost, and my seedlings and seeds. I began the other day the layering process. Today, after I return from a bridal shower, I will begin planting. The weather is perfect and forecast to stay this way for the weekend. Oh yes it should be noted that my husband put up a small fence around my vegetable garden. My dogs thought it was their job to hunt the earth worm population and anything else that caught their interest in there. So they have been blocked.

So this weekend is a busy one full of garden plans, planting, filling window boxes and cookout with my family. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

Full Days

For the record, I posted Monday but I lost it. I was not finished, was uploading photos, and it was gone. Oh well, guess what I wrote was not meant to be posted.

So I am back with something entirely different. It is hard to get into the grove of writing, at least for me. It is a very busy time with graduation parties, wedding showers, weddings,yard work,art and fiber pursuits, friends and family. So busy in fact, I forgot the San Marzano seedlings outside last week...So I am ordering more seeds on principle, I don't know who's ( is that a word?)I guess so, spell check says so, so it is official. I hunted for the seeds as my neighbor gave me the first batch of seeds. But Cook's Garden catalog has them. Yea! The lettuce had to also be replanted as the squirrels up ended the first batch.

I joined the Summer of Socks 2008. I don't know how many socks I'll get done but it sounded like fun. I love to wear my hand knit socks and I could use the motivation for making more.
So I have picked up my knitting. I have missed it, the desire just was not there for a while. I don't get to my favorite shop to knit in, RI Handspun, enough anymore. Great knitters, friends , yarns. Oh yes, and without one of my pet peeves, Sue doesn't charge you a fee for coming weekly to sit in her shop to knit and gather. We help one another and usually there is shopping going on as well. Makes me crazy when I see a yarn shop advertise for a weekly knitting thing, 10 dollars, 12 dollars, whatever, I don't even entertain going. Well there's my rant for the day, been wanting to moan about that for a while.

Tomorrow is The Second Annual Rhode Island Sheep and Wool Festival.
I am weaving in the sheep to shawl demonstration with the rest of the RI Spinners Guild. Is my loom warped? Am I packed up? Do I know what I want to take or even wear? No on all counts. So I am off to answer these questions as today is just as full. I have a fun dinner get together to attend tonight with dear friends and I need to have my car packed and ready to leave early tomorrow. I thrive on pressure...

I have warped my Macomber loom for another shawl using Brown Sheep sport weight yarn. I have it threaded and tied up for a straight twill but that might change, at least the treadling. We will see...



I was browsing around and found this clip. I am always hunting for a laugh or two and Jon Stewart usually does it for me. Be warned it, is political but it is my blog...

Have a great day and thanks for reading.
Peace

Ah, Spring...

Here is my red poppy plant. First up.



Gosh, I have gone and done it again. I've let 2 months go by with out a post. Nothing to say? Hardly...maybe just a change in focus and not sure I wanted to write about it. This has been a very long, dark, dreary winter and I, for one am glad to be done with it. So on to spring and I am grateful. I need light. The woodstove has a new purpose holding the San Marzano seedlings.



I started a drawing class in a private studio in January and the second semester began March 31 and goes through to May12. It has been a great experience, one I look forward to weekly. I have been drawing and sketching all my life and even took a number of classes in college but this class is being taught in the classical way. There is always more to be learned and understood. I have been introduced to some interesting music as well, which has been a bonus and will write about at another time. We are a small group of 5 women being taught by artist, Sally Caswell, in her studio. It has been wonderful experience for me. I feel like a sponge every week, just soaking it all up.



My daughter is planning landscape changes. A need for some privacy is pressing. So we visited a nursery and she was told some of her options. I have been pressed into using my drafting degree from years ago to plot her yard rather than having the nursery staff do it which will save some cash and she took her own photos which helps as well. It will be fun to see what the designer comes up with because it is a challenging yard. She feels like she is in a fish bowl...



Well this was a start. I hope to be more faithful to posting. Have a great day and thanks for reading...