Cheers!!

Tough night, tough day, so I am going to give you something to read.

Back in October, the Albany Times Union called me about doing an article for their Life At Home magazine.  They sent a writer, and a photographer.  That's how the video came about...you can see it HERE.
Tomorrow, the article should be out in the Life at Home magazine, which is an insert in the Sunday Times Union, but YOU can see it HERE.

http://blog.timesunion.com/lifeathome/artisan-crazy-as-loom/8442/

It's probably about as famous as I  am ever going to be, and as famous as I want to be.

I am grateful to the Times Union for this awesome opportunity, and grateful for all of you, who keep coming here to inspire me, support me, encourage me, and keep me going.
Love you all.
Happy New Year.......here's to 2012!!  (she slurps her wine, hey why not, I already HAVE the headache!)

Ivy and me.

A couple of days ago, my friend Karen, of ThisOldHouse posted pictures of a beautiful dog whose days were numbered.
Ivy, a one year old pit bull, was scheduled to be euthanized on Jan 3rd.  The New Haven Animal Shelter had decided that she was deteriorating in a shelter setting, and that was that.  She was depressed, not eating, losing weight, not thriving.
No, she wasn't.  She needs a home.

I know, of course, that Ivy is one of thousands of dogs destined to be killed, simply because they don't have homes, but for some reason, maybe worn down by 10 weeks of pain, I felt like someone had stabbed me right through the heart.  I went to bed thinking about it, and woke up in the night anxiously trying to find some answers.  I went to their Facebook page, and asked what someone had to do to rescue her. I offered to pay the adoption fee, if someone wanted her, and the money was an issue.
 I called Out of the Pits, in Albany, my favorite rescue group, and where I got Roy.  They agreed to call the New Haven shelter, to see if they could pull her and buy her some time.  I offered to go get her, figuring I could do the 3.5 hour drive on Saturday, if there was someone who would take her when I got back.
I didn't give much thought to bringing her home....DH and my mother and I are pretty squished into this little house.  And besides, it wouldn't be real fair to my Roy.
Then, while waiting to hear from Cyd at Out of the Pits, someone posted on FB that Ivy was being rescued, by a brand new group called Running for Rescues.
Hallelujah, and Amen.
They are picking her up, and taking her to her foster home in Vermont, on Sunday.  Ivy is starting a new year, and hopefully a new life.  Poor baby girl.
I pray that she will get a forever home, soon.

Running for Rescues can be found HERE  
They are brand new.  Ivy is their FIRST rescue.  Their concept is fantastic.......if you are a runner, you can fundraise for them, at whatever race you want to run, whenever you want to run it.  It's an amazing concept, and I applaud them.
If you're not a runner, they will help you train for a 5k.
Check them out.  You won't be sorry.

For myself, my reaction to Ivy has made me realize that this year is the year I want to do more for a cause that is dear to my heart.  The statistics are overwhelming, and I simply cannot stand it.  I know I can't save them all, but I also know that I need to be present.  Being present means not turning away.

Nap time.

My little boy Roy is hurt.   We don't know exactly how......but he doesn't want to jump up on the couch, and he really isn't liking stairs.  So something is bruised, or sore, or just plain hurts when he tries.
He went for a little walk this morning, and seemed fine, as long as he was trotting along, on a flat surface.

What I think may have happened, is that he injured himself with his mad dash to the back door.  When he is done in the back yard, and he is ready to come in, he FLIES across from the back corner to the porch, and when he gets to the porch, he LEAPS through the air, missing all the stairs, making a crash landing.  It's frightening.

He is eating, and drinking, and doing all the other things you want him to do, but it is clear he is having a pain issue.
Ah, I get that.

This morning, L and I finished up an order that we have been working on, TWO 5'x7' rugs.  The customer was adamant, they had to be BRIGHT.     She repeated it:  BRIGHT.
We think we got it just right.
What do you think?

But by 12:30, I was ready to throw in the towel.  A girl can just take so much pain.
So I headed home.
The couch was bathed in sun, and Roy was ready to keep me company.
Then my mother came around the corner, waving her grocery list.
You're kidding, right?

I took a deep breath, and we headed to Hannaford, the nearest supermarket.  It was either that, or go myself with her list, and hope I got it right.

Taking my mother to the grocery store, and putting her on a motorized cart, is like  putting a 6 year old on one, with a list, credit card, and a sweet tooth. As awful as it seems, I try to avoid her while we are in the store, because if she sees me, she will send me hither and yon, to get this or that.  My reasoning is that she takes very little responsibility for anything, and as long as she is capable, it is a good thing to encourage her to keep doing it.
She buys mostly candy, cookies, ice cream, magazines, potato chips, with an occasional head of Boston lettuce and some teabags thrown in.  Or maybe a package of HAM.
She eats with us every night, so dinner is not her main concern.
But hey, if I want to know what's going on in Hollywood....OR, if I want a snack........I know where to go.
And the shopping is done, and that's a good thing.

So if you'll excuse me now, Roy and I want to check out the backs of our eyelids, right Roy???

Attitude Adjustment

I know I am in a funk, when I don't feel all that excited about the New Year coming up.  I always have.  It is something I depend on, no matter what.
I have felt the quivering of new ideas, and inspirations, but they are  all crowded in a doorway, waiting.
Stuck maybe.
I know it is the relentless pain of this headache, now in its 10th week......is that even possible?  And while I am able at times to beat myself into getting on my feet, doing a normal day, I am unable to elicit much excitement for the future.
That's ok, right?
I'm entitled, I think.

Luckily I have help with my attitude.

Yesterday, I took my three youngest grandchildren to the movies, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Chipwrecked.  They were sweet, and they loved it of course.  It was pretty painful for me, the volume was ridiculous, and we had to sit pretty close.  I didn't watch much of it, because it would have entailed me cranking my neck back to see the screen, and I wasn't willing to endure that.  So I rested.....or tried.  No one noticed.  They had a good time, and that was my intent.

It rained hard on the way home, and all evening. At one point, I was sure I heard thunder.  Then later, on facebook, I saw that there was a gas leak into the sewers in a neighboring town, and the explosions in the sewer could be heard 7 miles away. Hundreds of gallons of gas from a damaged gas pump  ran out onto the street, and into the sewers.  They were evacuating people from their homes.  No one was hurt.

There is always a reminder to be grateful in this world.

Which reminds me.....thanks to the OTHER HILARY for the POTW.  I hardly think I deserve it, but who am I to argue.  My photography is always 'dumb luck', and I am humble in her presence, along with a few others whose talent makes mine look quite amateur in contrast.
But thank you.  That was nice.


It is well known at CAAL that Miss Puss and Sydney are not buddies.  From the beginning, Miss Puss has tried to push Syd around, but Syd is a junk yard dog, and she isn't putting up with that.
So I am not really sure what they were doing here in front of the pellet stove.
Posturing??

 Sydney says:
She ain't the boss of me.

Sigh.

Back at it.

Christmas day and today were somewhat difficult because my headache was a roaring, nerve wracking 10.

I did my very, very best to  act "as if" it wasn't there.  A challenge, to say the least.

These two sweet faces help, believe me, they do.

In fact, I can't think of much that makes me happier.   Look at them.  Can you blame me???

Got to the studio this morning, and anyone could tell from my face, that it wasn't a good day.

But we had work to do, so I told L, "we're ignoring it."

And we did.

Reminds me of that saying..........mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

 
This is a 5'x7'.  In bright colors.  BRIGHT.

Two of them.
We finished one today.

We rock.

And as crazy as it seems, accomplishing something IN SPITE OF the headache, makes me happy.
Otherwise, the headache would win, and I would lose.
I would still have the headache, and be miserable because I did NOTHING.

This way, somehow, it makes the pain more doable.
Doable.  Now that's a concept.

No turkey for Christmas.

While I didn't have too much to do today, I still felt like I was on the run....and I don't like it, even a little.

  I resent sometimes the craziness that we inflict upon ourselves during the holiday season.  I wonder, often, why so many of us still grit our teeth, and white knuckle it through Christmas, as if our lives depended on it.
Getting the right gifts, spending the right amount of money, preparing the right food.
What???
Seriously.
A lot of people have lost the whole concept.........the 'goodness', the caring, the meaning.

It's not about Walmart, folks.  
I know I try hard NOT to go there.....and more and more, I talk to people who feel the same, people who try to downsize the commercial side of it, and put more emphasis on family and friends.  I would like to experience Christmas in a place similar to my childhood.  When it was simpler, less complicated.
People weren't trampling each other after a pair of sneakers.

Toys came from the five and dime, or if you were lucky, in the mail from Sears.  The local paper mill had a Christmas party for all the kids, there was a free movie.
There was an excitement that was palpable, but it wasn't about how much you got.
It was more about how much you gave.

On the way home from the studio today, I caught sight of this guy.

I made a U turn, parked my car on the side of the road, and grabbed my camera.

He looked somewhat annoyed, as I tried to get a good shot, without getting killed by passing cars.
And it was cold.

 Then he totally disrepected me, and turned his back.
Hrrumph.
I swear that is what he said.

Not to be deterred, I got closer.
And I got 'the look'.

He got his feathers all in a ruffle.

 Keeping his eye on me the whole time.

Finally, he'd had enough of me.
Sorry about the butt shot, but seriously......have you ever seen such a good one......butt shot, I mean???
Can I say 'butt shot' on Christmas eve day????
Oh, dear.

He looked over his shoulder, as if to say, "Are you done?"

He moved up the power line, just a ways, settled again, and looked down at me.

I think he said Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.  At least that's what it sounded like.
Really.

I was getting cold, but hated to leave.

As beautiful as he was, he was not very friendly.
Even the day before Christmas.  What's up with that?

He posed for me real pretty, I think he said,"OK, OK, take the picture already."

Then with a little shriek, he flew off again.

 To the highest spot he could find nearby.  So since he was not thrilled with the paparazzi following him, and since my fingers were frozen, I decided to bid him adieu.

Ta, ta.  Merry Christmas.

whew.

This is where I've been working most of the week, weaving mug mats.   I would like to have a stash of them.

They are all different.  Every now and then, I will make a set of four that match, but it is totally on a whim.
I love them in this basket, they are so easy to flip through to find what you like.

The warp was multi colored, and I just finished it.
I immediately put on an off white warp, to make more.

I went to the neurologist today.
He confirmed what I have suspected, and what the second neurosurgeon said, that Chiari is NOT my problem.
His diagnosis is post traumatic headache from the fall I took, the concussion, and from the tension caused by whiplash.  He has prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy on my neck.
I am relieved on one hand, and hopeful on the other.
But let's not think about headaches right now......it's Christmas for heaven's sake.

There are pies to make, and presents to wrap.
Ay yi yi.  
A couple of days, and all the rush will be over.  That's just fine with me.

A little music

In the morning, I want to get out the door and get to the studio ASAP.  I have things to do.

My name is Hilary, and I am a workaholic.

It is hard to redirect my energy, to do our walk in the morning.  But I knew I would feel better, now and later, if I did.

I bought headphones for my I Phone.....and I have Pandora on it, but I don't use them.
I don't want my head  bogged down with any of it.
I want to hear the ducks talking to each other in the canal.

Hear the flapping of their wings when they  take off and land.

Hear the crunch of the gravel path under my sneakers.

And I want to hear the sound of Roy's tags as we breeze along the bike path.
It's the sweetest jingle bells ever.


Did someone say 'jingle bells'???

O's perspective.

OK, maybe tonight is not so good, but I have had three 'nearly' normal days, and it was a break I desperately needed.
So I just have to say 'ouch' and get on with it.

You gotta grab life with both hands, when you have the chance.  And hold on.
No matter what.

You have to follow your dreams, go where they lead you.

 Sometimes you just have to believe you'll get where you need to be.

Sometimes you have to take a little break, have a cracker or two, and think about it.

But even with cracker on your face, tomorrow is still a brand new day.