Live and learn

This has been a busy week. First of all, I had a last minute weaving weekend, except that we did it midweek.
And as I posted previously, the first night I had bales of selvedges arriving at midnight.
Then the tour of 26 people.
But it all worked out.
My husband said to me.......I can't believe you are so calm.
Why not?
Not much to be gained worrying about it.
I usually just try to take it one step at a time. I guess after 20 years working at a maximum security prison makes a lot of other stuff just fall into place.
How important is it, I ask myself.
Sometimes the answer is obvious, and sometimes not.





This is Marie.....she has already wound a warp, and put it on the loom, not this loom, but a smaller one.
And now she is weaving a rag rug.
I am always amazed at what really nice and interesting people come to weave at Crazy as a Loom.
We had a great time, other than the unbearable heat. We did have to take a break to swim in my pool, and soak in the hot tub, and swim in the pool....you get the picture.

And she did great. Look at her rug, isn't it beautiful? I think she surprised herself.
She is definitely on her way to a life of weaving. I can tell.



On the way home today, I was thinking about bamboo and wood chucks. Now those two subjects may seem worlds apart. But they really have a lot in common.
When I bought the house that is now my studio, it came with both.
There was months of cutting bamboo. And it kept reappearing.
I researched endlessly, trying to find a way to get rid of it for good. The lady that owns the adjoining property on one side has bamboo. She likes it. So no matter how hard I tried to eradicate it, it was always there lurking on the property line.
I heard somewhere, that you can't kill the bamboo. You can only find the person that planted it, and kill them.
Hmm.
Then there are the woodchucks. Holes in the yard. A giant hole in the barn. Holes under the porches. We tried all kinds of things, but they just laughed. I swear it is true.
I finally just recently had 6 " of dirt taken out of the barn, had wire put down, put the dirt back down on top of it, and then had gravel put on top of that. So I have successfully kept them out of the barn.
But they are still there. They run out from under the porch, and they look back over their fat little shoulders, and I swear, they are grinning.
So today, while weaving, I caught the glimpse of bamboo creeping up the side of the window.
And I wondered.
Maybe, I need to accept the things I cannot change.
Just maybe, woodchucks and bamboo are a lesson in the making.
Who knew?

exhausted

Oh, for crying out loud, is it raining again????


Looks like rain, and a lot of it.
Oh, well, I was just hanging around anyway. I guess it doesn't matter all that much.


And rain means the roof is leaking again, yup....that new roof I put on not long ago.....leaking.
I am not a happy camper.
I did get a big......BIG.........shipment of upholstery selvedges, so I will be selling some to other weavers to make rugs with. They are $1.50 per pound, plus shipping. If you want a choice of colors, and I have to dig them out, they are $1.75 per pound.
You can call me, or email me, (info on my web site) If you know a weaver, tell her/him........I don't think I will live long enough to weave off 5200 lbs, which would make my husband's prophecy true. So I have to sell some.


There are tons of colors, it is very clean, and I know it will make beautiful rugs.
I intend on making a lot of them.
I was outside til way after midnight last night, because that is when these bales arrived.
Ugh.
I was so tired.
The bales are much bigger in reality than I imagined.
Yikes.
It has so far been a pretty busy week. I am hosting a "mid week" weaving weekend. I had 26 people here today all at once, for a tour.


Once again, I apologize for my amateurish photo skills....
but I just thought this one was cool.


And now folks, I will say goodnight, cause I have nothing more to say.

Just another day in Paradise.

Just when I thought I was going to have a quiet, mind numbing (I wanted mind numbing) day at the studio, the phone rang.
My daughter had been up with my grandson all night; he had a severe headache, and he had been vomiting all night. He is eleven, and not generally a complainer.
I sprung into "ER nurse mode", asking her all kinds of questions.
The tidbit of information that made my blood run cold, was that, yes, he had "bumped" his head yesterday afternoon.......but he said he was OK.
Not.
So she took him to the ER at Albany Medical Center, where they did a neurological exam to see if the head injury was causing him to be sick. They also did a CAT scan, to make sure he wasn't bleeding inside his head.
The outcome was that he had a concussion, and they discharged him finally, with instructions that he couldn't play sports for two weeks.
What a relief. The outcome could have been so different.
So I got to work. I am a doer. I used to think I was a task oriented person, but when I read the definition, I decided that wasn't me at all.
Here is what I was working on today......blue jean rugs. They are one of my favorites.


I took a little stroll around the yard. Here is one of my several pots of cilantro. You can never have too much cilantro.
I had a dead tree taken down last week, and there is a pile of wood/bark left on the lawn. I suppose I will have to drag it back to the pile of brush I already have behind the house, but then, maybe not.
The wood is just out of the photo, and not far from the road at all. Now don't you think that with all the traffic going by on Rte 4, there would be at least ONE person who needs wood for a camp fire??
I am so hoping that it is gone in the morning. My husband always says this doesn't work, until said item disappears.
A couple of months ago, I put out 4 matching chairs with broken reed seats, and a roll of Congoleum. Three of the chairs were gone within an hour. So one lonely chair and the flooring sat there. I thought I was going to be stuck with them.
But the next morning they were gone.
Now weeding is an ongoing job, and this just proves that weeds can and will grow anywhere.
I just love rocks. What can I say?
My gardening style is somewhat eclectic.
I like old rotting stumps, too.
I have a busy week coming up..........5200 lbs of selvedge being delivered tomorrow, a mid week weaving weekend starting tomorrow, and a tour of 26 people coming on Wednesday afternoon.
So I sat out in the garden for awhile, just breathing deeply. One day at a time.
Tammy is off to Boston to a Red Sox game, but she is coming back early tomorrow......she says......to help me clean.
I hope she does.
This is what Miss Puss had to say about it.

The sound of rain.

Today was a day of cleaning the house, getting ready to have my daughters over for dinner.
I always love seeing them. They are beautiful girls.
But being their mother, and worrying about them, I don't always agree with their decisions.
Sound familiar?
I struggle with where I leave off, and they begin.
I want them to be happy, as all mothers want their children to be.
We love each other very much, and tonight after dinner, we had quite an emotional discussion, which has left me feeling helpless as a baby.
I happened apon this video......and thought you might like it.
It made me smile tonight, and I needed that.

Turn off my music playlist before you click on the video.

This fun YouTube video features a 1980s pop classic. The rock band Toto scored their biggest hit with Africa in 1982. The song is instantly recognizable. But it has been reinvented.

Perpetuum Jazzile is an a cappella jazz choir from Slovenia. It’s hard to think of something further from an ‘80s rock band. But their version of Africa may best the original. The group has amazing voices.

But the beginning of this video is really striking. Group members simulate an African thunderstorm with their hands.
It’s really something to see and hear.(Don't turn up your sound - the sound of raindrops begins really soft.)

Blue jeans and Blueberries

Today was kind of a drudge day. I had a rug to make that needs to go out on Monday, and I wanted to put a warp on for blue jeans.
I put 100 yards of warp on one of my Union looms. The warp is mixed blues, and I will be making a pile of 24"x42" blue jean rugs.
This Union loom is a bit different. The brake is on top of the sectional beam, and there is a metal brake rod right between the sectional and the back beam. Every time I warp this loom, I put the threads under the metal bar. And the tension of weaving rugs bends the metal rod to a disturbing angle. I have a mental block about it, and the last few times I have put a warp on, I have gotten half way through the very time consuming job of tying the new warp threads to the old ones, realized that I was UNDER the metal rod....AGAIN.....and in a huff, cut them off and started over.
Thus this sign.




The sign says......in case you can't make it out........DO NOT GO UNDER BAR........YOU MORON.
That is for me.
And today....I did not go under the bar......see???
Eleven sections of 100 turns each.....no wonder my shoulder is talking to me tonight.
The hot tub will sure feel good.
The hot tub was a purchase I made at least 7 years ago, and it was the best money I ever spent.


Here it is, ready to go......except for one small detail.........I have NO blue jean strips sewn together, which means a day of cutting and sewing is in order. And my jean stash is getting down.
I should put an ad in the paper.........."I take old jeans".
Then one day, I would pull into the driveway at the studio and the porch would be buried in jeans.
You know what they say, "Be careful what you ask for."


Like I said, I am easily amused...and this tickled me. There are three bird feeders right outside this window, and since I feed the birds year round, we call this kitty HBO.
It appears that Miss Puss and Kisme are sitting back, giving Jinx dibs on the best seat.

So after a long day at the studio,where I actually accomplished everything I intended.....which feels pretty good, I headed home.......
DH called me on my cell phone...what's for dinner?
Now I don't mind going to the store.....and I don't mind buying the food, and I don't mind cooking it, but one thing that drives me wild is when the people you are doing it for, namely DH and mother, cannot come up with ONE idea about what to have for dinner.
Well, in that case then, you better be prepared to have what occurs to me while strolling the aisles of Hannaford.
Which was local grown corn on the cob.
Grilled reuben sandwiches, with sauteed red cabbage instead of sauerkraut, french fries, and blueberry cobbler.
It was all quite tasty, if I do say so myself.
And I discovered that my husband and I had both bought blueberries and there was a surplus in the fridge. So I made blueberry muffins while I was at it.
I say if you are making a mess, you might as well go for the gusto.

I highly recommend this blueberry cobbler.....it was awesome! You can find the recipe over at www.sprucehill.typepad.com at the bottom of the first page.
Her photo is better, too.

And this is what I am going to be doing real soon.....reclining.
And looking at the backs of my eyelids.

Hilary St.

(oh, yeah....click on any picture to enlarge)


I like this. Hilary St.
Has a nice ring to it.
I got this picture in an email today, and was told that it is in Franklin, Iowa. But when I checked it on Google maps, I couldn't find it.
Oh, well, I like it anyway.



We were invited to a barbeque the other evening, and I took my camera along.
It was a lovely evening, and the light was perfect.

And there is nothing I like more than rocks....so this rock wall did it for me.


And front porches also row my boat. I want one .....a back porch....like this, at the studio.....someday.

It was a very laid back barbeque, adults....no kids. I was up for that, since I have had my granddaughter all week.


When we left, I took this picture...and I know that it is not a big deal if you are REALLY good at taking pictures, but I liked it nonetheless.
DH says that I am easily amused. That's a good thing, right?

This was a busy week.......as I said, I was Mimi all week......almost full time. My daughter needed me to watch Ava. She is a real sweetheart, and easy as pie. But then I am old.....and believe me, a four year old will convince you in no time flat, just how old you are.
But she played at the "tudio" well, (when she says this, I always want to burst into song, "Tu, Tu, Tudio"...........remember that song....that is not exactly what Phil Collins sings....but it sounds lots like it........) and I think she is lulled with the repetitious whack of the loom, as I beat in the weft on these rag rugs.
These are probably my favorite colors....purple, turquoise......love them.
My mother told use at lunch the other day, that she was a "beige" person.
I was not surprised at that.
She has at least........I AM SERIOUS NOW.......at least 30 pairs of BEIGE long pants.
Me....no thanks. I am a color freak.....I LOVE color.

These rugs are 42"x60" +........next up is blue jean rugs......I am going to put a long warp for them on tomorrow.
Hold up, Ava, ......Mimi is the one exhausted here.......

More of a day trip

We finally got to Middlebury about 1pm....and we were all starving.
So we went to Tully and Marie's......right on the Otter Creek. We sat out on the balcony, and braved the possibility of rain.
My mother....who is 84......has become much less tolerant as she has aged. She took one look at the menu and started a spiel about "foreign food".
I had the sweet potato and black bean enchiladas........my daughter had a tomato basil bisque with a turkey and avocado sandwich. They were awesome. Eventually, mother decided to order off the children's menu, with Ava, and opted for the grilled cheese sandwich.
She was unhappy with the wait.
And the french fries she ordered didn't come. Instead they brought an order of sweet potato french fries. Ha! You can imagine the reception they got.

But the creek was calm and lovely, anyway.


And the flowers were lovely.
Hmm....what have we here? Another disgruntled customer??
They don't have mac and cheese?????
What??????

Well, I suppose I "could" be ageeable.

Mmmm..........this frothy chocolate milk is improving my mood, let me tell you.








Maybe a little cuddling with my mommy will help, while I am waiting for my grilled cheese.

By now, it had started to sprinkle. I had already been to the car to get a jacket for my mother, who was cold. (it was 70 degrees)
After lunch, we went to our intended destination.........Neat Repeats.....just up the hill. This is a really nice used clothing store, one of my very favorites.

After we shopped at Neat Repeats, we went across town, to another consignment shop, Round Robin. It was seriously raining now.
I bought quite a few things .........a pair of cropped pants, two pairs of long pants, a couple of shirts, a bathing suit with the tags still on it. But the find of the day, and the one that made me the happiest, were these.

A brand new pair of Dansko sandals, my size, in red. Never, ever worn.........Are they sweet, or what?
Brooke and I decided that the next time we take my mother to Middlebury, we are getting a designated driver, and we are drinking a bottle of wine at lunch, which will make us so much more tolerant of my mother's intolerance.
Does that make sense?
Tammy has already volunteered.

Four girls on a trip

As I promised, I am learning to take time off.
Really.
So today, my oldest daughter, my mother, and my grandaughter Ava, and I set off for Middlebury, Vt.
As long as I can remember, Middlebury was a favorite day trip from Ticonderoga, where I grew up, and from Putnam, where I lived for many years.
So we decided to take the ferry. I love the ferry. I couldn't count the times I have been on it. And every time I ride it, I remember the time that my father and I came home from an auction on a Saturday night. We got to the ferry on the Vermont side, just as it was docking for the last time, on the New York side. It was almost dark, but not quite. My father got out, and hollered across the lake. Then he started honking the horn. I was quite mortified. He insisted that he was not driving all the way around the lake. He honked. I slunk down into the seat of the truck. After what seemed like forever, we heard the motor start up, and the lights came on. And my father said, "See? I told you they wouldn't leave us here."

But today, they left us here........as we pulled up, they were just this far out. We watched in disbelief......
But yup, they were leaving us. For real.
So we decided to get out and walk around. Ava was all for that.
Do you remember when you could wear a little dress like that and look that good????
Or can you still???

My mother, in the pink shirt, does not know these people. Never met them.
But that does not stop her. Any time that I leave her for more than a minute, I can be sure that she will strike up a conversation with whoever is closest to her.
Lake Champlain is on the east side of Ticonderoga, and Lake George is on the west side, they meet in the middle with the LaChute river.
After a while, there were alot of cars lined up behind us, waiting for the ferry.


And finally, they came back across. Lucky for us the lake is not very wide here.
The lake was calm today, making for a nice ride.
On the other side, the Carillon was getting ready to take people on a tour of the lake.

Have you ever seen anthing like these????

On the way to Middlebury, which is 18 miles from the ferry, we saw these at Middlebury College. Aren't they wild???? I have no idea what they are, but I like them anyway.
I love riding back roads. Always have. Probably a throw back to all the back roads I traveled with my father, when I was a kid.
Today, it was a multi generational trip.....from 4 to 84.
My daughter's purse was sitting between the seats, and tipped over into the back seat, upside down on the floor.
She said, "That's OK, my whole car is my purse."
I said, "I like that idea."
She replied, "You LIVE that idea."
Now what the hey is that supposed to mean?????
KIDS.

More tomorrow........it was a fun day, but a long one.
But isn't Vermont beautiful.

Good choices.

I am not a very patient gardener......I like planting potted perennials that I can count on, and I have always hated waiting for seeds. I never trust that they will appear; except for a few .....and nasturtiums are one of the chosen ones. They always spring up from the dirt with abandon, and they thrive with no attention whatever.
Here is another great choice I made not long ago. My mother and I, being English, are dedicated tea drinkers. We make it in a pot, and there are rules to be followed. The water has to come to a full rolling boil......and you always pour the water 'boiling' onto the tea in the pot. You never turn the water off, and let it sit for even 2 seconds. Because it was difficult to hear the tea kettle whistling from our living room, and also from my mother's living room in the back of the house, the kettle was always in danger of going dry over the gas flame. And with my mother's hearing being not good at all, I was also worried about her forgetting the kettle on the stove entirely. So I bought this....it is called a "Capresso", and we have come to love it. The base is plugged in, so the kettle lifts right off it. It boils water in about 3 minutes, or less, and you can SEE it boil. And the best part is, it shuts itself off. If you forget it, you just turn it back on, and it will boil again in 30 seconds. Love it, love it, love it. My mother was a little skeptical at first, but she is definitely sold now.

As I mentioned earlier, Tammy starts her new job tomorrow. She has mixed feelings about it, and so do I.
She and her boyfriend have also been on the hunt for a new apartment, so they can take Jinx the kitten home with them. They looked at one yesterday that sounded promising, but her response when I asked her about it was "gross". So I guess not.
She jokingly said that I should let them live at the studio. The upstairs would be plenty big enough, and they could use the kitchen downstairs. We talked about it a bit, and I realized that she was serious. So I said I would think about it.
And I did.
First there is the money...........which if I gave it to DH for safe keeping would amount to a nice little nest egg of savings that wouldn't hurt a bit.
Next, Tammy is a clean freak, so the house would be spotless, with no effort on my part.
Then, her boyfriend would do all the yard work........ALL THE YARD WORK!!!!OMG.
Also, there would be someone there, the house wouldn't be sitting there vacant when I am not there.
It all sounds good, right???
So I tried to imagine it.......their furniture upstairs in the bedrooms. I wouldn't be able to do weaving weekends. I wouldn't be able to stay over with the grandkids. And while they both will be at work Monday through Friday during the day, the weekends, and holidays would be a problem. I would feel like I was intruding, in my own space.
They would have their friends there, and somehow it would change everything.
So after much thought, and talking it over with my husband, who listened to both sides of it, I decided that there really isn't enough money, or reasons, to give up my serenity.
Choices.
Creating my life as I go.


So Tammy said that maybe I could build a garage with an apartment over it, and they would live there.....
Yes, she does think that I am independently wealthy.
She emailed this floor plan to me........and I have to admit, I LIKE it.
Here is the apartment above the garage......nice, isn't it?????

I love the smell of cut lumber............I have loved it ever since I was a kid, which is pretty understandable, since my father was always building something.
But maybe this is a project for another year.......ya think?
Yeah, that is probably the right choice for now.

Solitude

This is the color of summer..........
I really have fun with this mosaic maker. And I am still loving my camera, a Nikon D40 that I bought this year. I would love a zoom lens, but it isn't in the budget right now.

Today was Tammy's last day at the studio. She has been my apprentice since last November. She has become quite a good rag rug weaver, and she has been an incredible help to me.
But she has a 'real' job, and she starts on Monday.
On one hand, I will really miss her.
On the other, I think I am ready to have the studio all to myself. It feels kind of selfish, but then again, I think this is a time in my life when I can, and should, be selfish on occasion.
I have never had any trouble spending time alone. I am quite happy to amuse myself sewing or weaving, or gardening, or just puttering around. I think that is a good quality to have, that ability to be comfortable in your own company. I think both of my parents were that way, and somehow they passed it on to me.

This was part of the work load this week........a Solmate sock runner, 10 and 1/2 ft long.
And a 4x6 rug in vibrant pinks and purples, with some other colors thrown in.

It was a pretty productive week. When the UPS man delivered 100 spools of warp to me today, he was greeted with 3 huge boxes as a swap. And I was smiling, because I didn't have to haul them out to my car and off to the UPS distribution center.
I love it when a plan comes together.
Tomorrow I am going to weave some small rugs in tans and browns, and I am going to breathe deeply, and enjoy the solitude.
As Thoreau said, "I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. "

Day at the lake

My friend has gone home with her broken hip, but she is confined to a wheel chair, with occasional forays with the walker. Today was her birthday. So I took my mom, and my two granddaughters, and we took lunch with us. A few other friends met us there, and we had a little party for her.
This is the view from her front yard. If you have to sit and do nothing, I guess this is the perfect place for it.
Lake George is a beautiful lake, though it is not as clean as it was when I was a kid. Too many motor boats, and houses along the shoreline. I remember being in a boat out in the middle of the lake, and being able to see the bottom, it was that clear. Not so today.
Ava and Gabs had a great time. They love the lake. This is "cracker girl". She really loves to ham it up for the camera. You can always count on her.
The best part about swimming here, is that they can walk out a long way before they even get water up to their chest.
After a day at the lake, we ordered pizza.......and looked at the pictures that I took all day.
Here is Nanny, with two great granddaughters on her lap.
I think Aunt Momo has caught Ava in a ruse.
What, she says.......is that you in the picture eating a "Lunchable"???????
You told me you didn't like lunchables!!!!!!!!!
It was a good day, but I am tired, and I know the bed will feel extra special tonight.

Going back to my old home town always brings back memories....some good, some not so good. I am not sure I like the changes that I see as I drive through the town.
I am working on letting things go, and that includes letting go of times past.
Change is inevitable, so they say.
And suffering is optional.

Painting on canvas

(Please click on photos to make them larger)



Oh, hollyhocks. One of my all time favorites. I have planted them all over the place, hoping that they will go crazy.
I am standing under the arbor, looking out at the meadow bushwhacked and mowed. It seems like a blank canvas, just waiting for me to do something wonderful out there.
It has to be done on a budget, you know.......I can't go out and pay someone thousands to landscape it. I can keep it mowed down though, until I figure it out.
As I was coming up to the house, after mowing all morning, I noticed this "vine" growing out of the edge of the window. What's up with that???
I guess someone will have to get up there and pull it off. Some vines, like bittersweet, will tear the siding right off a house.
I tied fringe on another big rug this morning. It is 7x10, but it is in wool. The Solmate sock rugs are usually in cotton, but I had a few boxes of the wool socks that have since been discontinued, so I wove them into this rug.
The colors are a bit muted, compared to the original Solmate sock rug.
The cats think I should just leave it here in the living room.
C'mon, can't ya' just leave it..........
"I am telling ya', this is one comfy rug. Just you try to get me off this rug!"

Suiting my fancy

I have been lusting for an arbor for the "not so secret garden". I have been thinking about one for some time. I looked at new ones, I priced lumber to build one. But today, while I was on my way down Interstate 87 to deliver a kitten........yes, another one, to a coworker of my daughter's, I remembered this antique store, where I had seen some interesting things outside one evening. It was closed on that particular occasion, but today, I decided to stop on my way home, after said kitten was safely delivered to her new owner.
And this arbor was sittting right out front.
(click on pics to enlarge)

It came apart, in 3 pieces, so it fit in the back of my Santa Fe.
It is a light green, and has some areas of rust on it. I am torn about whether to leave it alone, or paint it. DH and I checked Lowe's tonight, and they have the most boring Rustoleum colors you could imagine.
I want verdigris, or something like it.
I think it fits perfectly, and I am very pleased with my find.
My husband and I put it together, and he is going to put some ground anchors on it, so it doesn't fall over in a storm.
That is a climbing rose next to it, so "get climbing", I say.
We took a metal detector over to the studio, but after awhile we decided that the entire property is covered in some kind of ore or something that sets it off. And the ground is not easy digging.
So we went and got ice cream instead.
This is one of my favorite times of day, I love early morning, but this time in the evening is wonderful, too. I love the long shadows, and the soft sunlight.
I am mowing tomorrow, and mulching, and weed whacking, and generally sweating......just not to the oldies.
Hopefully, I will get a lot done before it gets too hot. Have a great weekend, everyone.

And a light bulb went off.

Here it is.......a 7'x10' Solmate sock rug. It was an incredible amount of work, and I am beat. Tammy and I both grumble while we are doing it.........I love to weave, but this size rug, in this venue, is plain hard work.
But when it comes off the loom, and we lay it out on the floor, to measure it and inspect it, it is always impressive. It is such an explosion of color, and walking on it with bare feet is like getting a foot massage.
This rug is going to Hilton Head, SC. I have never been there. Tammy seemed to think that there was room in the box.............
All in all, I feel pretty satisfied when we finish something this big.
Now we are going to make more of the same. When I set out to make a custom rug, I always put more warp on than I need. It is just simply good business. If it takes me two days to put the warp on this loom, and I only make one rug, then I have to apply those two days of work to that rug, in a financial way. On the other hand, if I put 20 yards on, which I did, then I can get 4 more rugs that size out of it, so now I can divide those hours spent on warping the loom by five.
Makes sense to me anyway.
So we are going to work on four more, and put them on my web site. A couple of them are going to be wool, still colorful, still socks, just wool, while the rug we just made is primarily cotton.
I have been "off" knitting for several months now. Not sure why. I knit like a crazy woman all fall and winter, but sometime in the spring, I just put the knitting needles down, and didn't pick them up again.
But today, for some unknown reason, this box of yarn that I was getting ready to list on Ebay, spoke to me, so I didn't list it, I brought it home instead.
Yes, dear, I know that I am nuts.
Tammy was cleaning today, after we finished the rug. She said she couldn't stand the studio anymore, too much dust......so she swept and vacuumed to her heart's content. When she finished, she was sitting at the counter, taking a break, eating some yogurt.......
I think I asked her if she was on a diet, or something..............
Sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And now, I am off to an Alanon meeting, which I have been a grateful member of for many years. I just started going again, after years of thinking that I was fine, and happy, and didn't need it. But then a family member ran into some difficulties, and needed my help, and suddenly I found myself doing the codependent dance all over again.
I got very out of control, in my head. I made myself sick with worry, and unhappy with my inability to control my reaction.
So I got myself together, and went to a meeting. The minute I walked through the door, I knew I was in the right place. I felt like I had come home.
So every Thursday night, I plan my evening around it. Because I found my way back to serenity there, and remembered why I went in the first place.
More later.

Back to work.

Well, that thing I said about not having an order........well, that is no longer true.
I am torn.......love to have the income, of course, have to pay the bills. But I was kind of enjoying the idea of having some time to myself.
It was a bit prophetic.....I started putting a multicolored warp on the big Toika, and the phone rang, and I suddenly had an order for a 7' x 10' Solmate Sock rug. Whew!
So yesterday I spent all day winding the warp on the sectional beam.
Today, I spent most of the day tying the new warp onto the old warp.
It really makes a lot more sense than it appears to.
It works well. Honest.
Of course, it helps to have an assistant.
Even if she is laying down on the job most of the time.
The loom is ready. Tomorrow, Tammy and I will start weaving BIG Solmate Sock rugs.
The 7'x10' for the order, and some 4'x6' rugs for the shop.
This is the strangest thing. It is just down the road from my house. This tree is DEAD. But apparently, a seed found its way into the rotting wood. And 30 feet in the air, this little sunflower is thriving.
Pretty unbelievable.

For dinner tonight, I felt creative, which is tough in my house.......neither my husband or my mother would touch this dish with a ten foot pole.
I started with some zucchini and yellow squash, with some chopped red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and I sauteed them in some olive oil. Some salt, some pepper, some basil. After a few minutes, I added a can of Roma tomatoes, with the liquid. I had chopped the tomatoes in a plastic bowl first. I cooked this over quite high heat til most of the liquid was gone. Then I added a can of black beans (drained first).
It was not only colorful, it was delish! I made some yellow rice, and put this concoction over the rice. Sprinkled a little feta cheese on top.
Husband made a face.
Mother raised her eyebrows.
That's OK, more for me.

Kate, over at Chronicles of a Country Girl, has touched me with her heartfelt blog. She has inspired me to be honest and authentic in what I write. Like her, I am human. I have some great qualities, I have some not so great ones. My life is not perfect. I struggle sometimes. I believe I have a calling to live the life I am living. I enjoy telling you all about my experience in this world, I love sharing with you my passion for family, for weaving, for gardening, for life. I have "met" some special people out there in the blogosphere. Posting on my blog, reading other blogs, is like connecting with new and old friends.

Kate was lusting after a Solmate Sock rug, and her friend,George,approves.
Can you blame him?
I think he and the rug are both stunning.
But that's me.

Open on Sunday

(please click on photos to enlarge)



Yesterday, when everyone was at the pool, celebrating the 4th of July, it was cool, and windy, and cloudy.
Today, though, it was beautiful.
And even though it is Sunday, I went to the studio. But not weaving today. I spent the entire day outside, weed whacking, trimming trees, cleaning up. I needed to be in the open air.
So I put the OPEN sign out there. You never know.
This old house.........it just makes me feel good. I have taken on the challenge of conquering the acre and a half that it sits on, a tiny percent of the land that originally belonged to this farm.

And I have found that throwing myself into this project of clearing, and planting, and creating the not so secret garden, has helped me to process worries that would have otherwise dominated my thinking.


I couldn't have a really big sign.....since this area is zoned agricultural. But I am pleased with the sign that I have.


My husband made this one for me as a surprise.

My project most recently, has been to clear the meadow at the back of the property, and turn it into lawn and perennial gardens.
I had it brush hogged two days ago, for $75, which made me very happy.
But I knew that to get to the place where I dare use the riding lawn mower, I had to do more than that.
So this morning, I called Miles. Miles has been mowing and doing yard work for me for years.
He started early, while it was kind of cool, but it didn't last for long. The sun started heating things up.
He had only mowed about 10 min, and he pulled the start cord right out of the machine. So he went to the barn, and got the older mower out, but that machine shook so hard, it made your hands numb, and threatened to shake every tooth right out of your head.
So I called DH. I asked him if he would be so kind as to go to Lowe's and buy me the cheapest lawn mower that they had, and bring it over. He said he would, if that is what I wanted, but he thought maybe I should get one from a garage sale. His observation was that a new mower today would be an old mower in a month.
I said that would be fine............but I wanted it done today, while I had Miles there. So I got thinking, and said, maybe I should try Craig's list.
We agreed that I would call him back, and let him know if he had to make a quick trip to Lowe's, or not.
I called the number, the ad said they had 2 old mowers, $50 each. But the man who answered said that they were both gone. Bummer. He said he would buy my two old mowers, but I said I really needed them fixed, and especially need at least one mower today. He said he would come over and look at them, and 20 minutes later he was there. He fixed one on the spot, charged me $10, and he took the other mower, and my favorite lawn tool of all time, the Troy Bilt push weed whacker. He said he'd have them back in a day or two.
I love it when I find a solution that fast. And I love to find someone who does a job well, and is reasonable.
So Miles mowed.....all day.....and he got it done.
Now for some trees.

Thanks to DH, who tempers my impulsive nature at times. I don't always take his advice, but sometimes he is just so right, and I do take it, and I am grateful that we complement each other so well.
My potting table has a $2 tablecloth.
And this is a leftover from my Mom's garden........I have yet to figure out where it is going, and how I am going to use it. It needs running water in it......so it doesn't breed mosquitoes and such.
But I love it, and I really like this photo of it.
And Miles and I loaded up the Baby Wolf loom in my car, and I brought it home.......so I can weave towels in the evening, or by the pool, or whenever I want.
All in all, it has been a good day. I am tired, but satisfied.
There was spagetti and meatballs when I got home, my favorite comfort food, yes, I am spoiled.

Trying to escape

( click on pics to enlarge)


Early morning.....not even 8am, and I am at the studio. Picking up, cleaning the kitchen, 2 cats and a kitten around my feet. The grass looks wet outside the window, but the sun is actually shining through the trees. There isn't much traffic this time of day, and honestly, I hardly notice it anymore. Me, who used to think she couldn't live on any road that there were more than a dozen cars by in a day.
Just goes to show, that life changes, and we adjust. And sometimes, it turns out better than we could have imagined.
I love the quiet here on a morning like this. Over the top of my computer screen, I look out the window, and see the cemetery across the way. There are people there who lived in this house 2oo years ago. Their name was Bellamy. I did a little research on the family when I first bought this house. One reference I found was to Edward Bellamy, who wrote the book Looking Backward.
Set in Boston on December 26, 2000, but written before the turn of the nineteenth century, this classic Utopian novel is more significant and relevant than ever with its reappearance this millennium. Addressing moral and material concerns of late nineteenth century industrial America through romantic narrative, Bellamy suggests a fictionalized society in which war, poverty, and malice do not exist.
I actually could not find any proof of this, and wonder if down through the years, this was just a figment of someone's imagination. Edward Bellamy wrote the book, but I doubt that he was related at all to the Jonathan Bellamy that built my house around 1790.

I had a good day today......in spite of a disturbing phone call.
I am "orderless".....first time this year. Perhaps the poor economy is catching up to me.
But it is an opportunity for me to play at the loom, and this is what I have been doing.
I have been wanting to make these pinwheel dish towels for a long time. I used cottolin, half cotton, half linen. I can't wait to get one off the loom.
Do you like them?

Later in the afternoon, I dragged myself away.......I was having a lot of fun with this. But I needed to take a chair to my friend in Ticonderoga, an hour away. She broke her hip, and needed a recliner. So my husband and I took the trip. It rained most of the way up, and back.
This is a view of Lake George, from her front steps, looking south down the lake.
I grew up here, climbing these mountains, swimming in this water. Ticonderoga, originally Tjeonderoge, or Te'c'cungha ro ge, means the place between two waters, or two waters flowing into each other.


And here is the other lake, Lake Champlain. This is South Bay, at the most southern point.

Our mission accomplished, the rain stopped. I walked the labyrinth, and stopped to look at some flowers. I love my "not so secret garden". I am thinking of getting a sign that says just that. How can it be secret, I tell everyone.


Finally, I headed home.......the sky over neighboring Vermont made me stop by the side of the road, to get this shot......in the distance, I could hear motorcycles coming at me.........

So I just kept shooting.......I am not much of a fan of motorcycles, but this one appealed to me.......some days you just want to ride away.
But not today.

Finished. In more ways than one.

Here are the finished rugs......three of them. I love this fabric. Did I say that already?
They are packed and on their way to Mesa, Arizona. Whew. I'll bet it is HOT out there.
I am going to make a few more like this.....the warp is on the loom, and there is plenty of fabric. And they are pretty. So why not?
Had the grandkids today, two of them. We spent the morning at the studio. They ran around the labyrinth for awhile, but then it started raining. It has been raining on and off here all week.
So they played inside til lunch time.

I did manage to get the Baby Wolf threaded for 8 harness towels, in a pinwheel pattern. I am not sure how, but I did. I think I zoned out.
We went home, to see if they could swim between the rain drops, but that didn't work out either.

They are hungry every second. And I know why they eat badly at meals....because they want to "graze" all day.
But Mimi doesn't go for that..........
I am into LUNCH, scheduled SNACKS, DINNER.
They go along with it, but not without a little resistance.
It helps to WARN them of what is going to happen. That seems to lessen the pain.

They don't look unhappy, do they?

So after getting rained out at the pool, they decided to watch cartoons for a while, to see if maybe the rain would stop.
I love having them. They are sweet children, for the most part.
But my ears are about to fall off. I swear they are on KID CRACK. They didn't shut up all day.
They were good, and they played great together, minus a couple of moments of discontent. But they have no VOLUME CONTROL.
Aren't they supposed to???
Or is it my increasing age?
The studio is pretty kid friendly......there are so many rooms, and so much "stuff " to make into imaginary play things. They come up with some pretty innovative scenarios to entertain themselves.
But some days, they are just exhausting. They are proof positive that YOUNG people should have children. Period.
I liked this shot.......I imagine Miss Puss saying....."hmm, should I lay on the sunglasses, or should I wear them?"
Ah, to heck with it, I guess I will just take a nap.

I am SO jealous.
I want to take a nap. I do.