Doins'

You may remember the china cabinet I bought second hand.  I needed a place for dishes, and a place for crock pots and such in the bottom.
The piece is pretty, but  dark.
I have wanted to change it since day one.

So finally, I did.

And I love it.   It's Annie Sloan chalk paint.

In our new, improved studio, where we do what we want, when we want,  Lois has started a new project.
Rep weave.

I helped her get the warp on, but this is her baby.

I think she is doing great, don't you?
I see more Rep Weave coming.

Me??  I'm happily stuck on clamshells.  These are shaded.
I am having FUN, and honestly, what else matters?

C'mon along.

I'm getting older, and so are my kids, and so are my grandkids.
So when they want me to go off on a day trip, I always say yes.

Who knows how long they will ask me?  or how long I will be willing?
Things change.
Kids get older and have so many things going on in their lives, and let's face it, spending the day with their Mimi isn't as fun as it once was.
I get that.

So today we went to the Wild Center, in Tupper Lake, NY.   We've been there before, but it was a few years ago.
And since then they have built a 5.5 million dollar Wild Walk, that is up in the trees.

This is their spider web.

These metal cones are just as tall under the walk way, as they are on top of it.

There's a bird nest, the highest point of the walk.

 

I love my family.  It makes me both sad and happy that they have their own separate lives.

It's the nature of things, I know.

I love the Adirondacks, but today, to be honest, there were too many people.

I have trucked all over the north country with these kids.

My hair is whiter and whiter.  Guess there's no help for it.

The Wild Walk was a feat of architectural design.

With a "tree" that really looked like a tree.

Ava struggled with the spider web.

 

 I think what may have bothered her, was that this "spider web" was at the level of treetops.
It was a little scary.


Logie sprinted across, and then watched .
He's well lodged in teenagerville.

It was a lovely place, but I was glad to be away from the crowds.  There were so many people there.

 The ride home is typical Adirondacks.  Just beautiful.

These photos were out the car window, but you can still see how amazing this part of the country is.

The downside is that it is a LONG trip.

With only small villages here and there.

And an occasional ice cream stand.

It was a fun day, and I am grateful to spend time with them.  I had a REALLY GOOD time.
Kids keep you young, I am sure of it.

But you know, it's good to be home, too.

Catching up

Summer is flying by, and I have been busy with a dozen different things, all of my own choosing.
My friend just left today, she has been on vacation here for two weeks, from Georgia.   We think it is hot here in the northeast, but it can't compare to where she lives.

We've been kayaking a couple of times, early in the morning, before it gets too hot. 


I am finally done with Solmate sock loopers.   They are gone, all of them.  SOLD, out of here.
After 8 years, I am ok with being done with them.
I won't be making any more Solmate sock rugs either.
They were fun.  But everything has its day.

I wasn't planning on being done completely with that part of it, but someone I thought was trustworthy, threw a wrench into the works when I wasn't looking, and now I don't have exclusivity, and if I don't have that, it's just not worth it.
Sometimes people just disappoint you, it's a fact of life.
I don't have to engage, and I'm not.

The good news is that NO ONE will have exclusivity.  Solmate is selling them to everyone.

In fact, if you want to buy loopers, or sock waste, you can email Kathy at Solmate Socks, and ask to get on the list for them.  She's at data@socklady.com


My focus has shifted.  As you know, we've downsized.
Actually, the studio now has the feel that it did when I first opened the doors.
I realize now what I've been missing all these years, while I was working too much.

Life is good when you slow down.  For real.

Moving on.

I am finding that my attitude about blog posts is similar to my new attitude about my life.
l have never been this relaxed, ever.
Maybe it's getting older, or maybe not. 
Maybe it started with the crack to the skull four years ago, or the surgeries that followed.
I'm not sure, but I know this, I am no longer driven like I was.

Oh sure, I still like to be productive.  I still go overboard in ways that make other people raise their eyebrows.
But things HAVE changed.

I am happy to spend time "not working".
I am soaking up happy times like a sponge.
There are so many more reasons to be alive, than to work like a dog.
This girl reminds me every time I look at her.

I am taking cues from Sydney, who is happy all the time.
And she does nothing.

I take time to drink ice tea with fresh lemon on my screened porch, with a book.
And Roy.
And Sydney.

If I am moved, I go in and weave another towel.   My hip is fairly happy with this, and I weave until my neck is not.
I find that one towel, big break, another towel, another break..........is a sequence that works well.  
It also allows me to do other things, something I have not given myself permission to do in a very long time.

Sometimes, I decide to cook.   The other day I made some chick pea/green pea falafels, and had them over salad. On the porch.  Oh, the decadence.

I am in a strange place that I am sure all of us get to.   I love my family, but understand clearly that their lives are their own.  As we get older, our role in the family changes.
But always, they mean everything.

I treat myself to crazy things, now that I have time to appreciate them.

I make sure to keep positive people in my life, and stay away from people who disappoint.
It's easier that way.

Letting go is one of the hardest things I'll ever do.
Letting go of the past, letting go of things that you thought defined you, things that you thought you couldn't live without.

Truth is, you can live without a lot.  And even better, when you let go of stuff that has become a drudge, you open yourself up to so much more,  horizons you didn't know existed.

All my life, I have used work as a reason to be alive, as a goal to keep moving, as a balm for bad times.
No more.
I am now settling in to a rhythm of days that soothe, and sustain, and make me happy for today, and excited for tomorrow.

Ah, now isn't that better??

Just a hello

 While I've been busy making towels, L has been weaving blue jean rugs on her Weaver's Friend.

They are thick and heavy, and beautiful, too.

 I tried a new binding for the ends of this one.  You know that saying:  something about necessity  being the mother of invention?
Yeah, don't ask.

Thanks to Sharon, over at sagecreekfarm.blogspot.com  for giving me this great idea.

My Singer steam press came today, and I just love it.

It is definitely a great addition to the studio.

I pressed 16 dish towels in about 10 minutes.

They look professionally pressed, and I am very pleased with them.

Sometimes, it's good to take a late afternoon break, and ponder on how grateful I am, for so many things.