Trivia

This morning while weaving, I realized that my shuttle was going in the wrong direction on one particular shot, and I muttered, "Wrong way, Corrigan."

That immediately brought my father to mind, because he said that a lot when I was growing up, and apparently imprinted it in my brain, along with a whole host of other stuff.
So I pondered about it, and realized that I didn't know where that phrase came from.
So I googled.

It seems that a fellow named Douglas Corrigan was denied his application to make a nonstop flight from New York to Ireland, because his plane was deemed unsafe.
So a couple of years later, in 1938,  he flew from California to Brooklyn,  and when he was supposed to return to California, he flew the "wrong way" and ended up in Ireland, after all.  The story is quite interesting, and you can read it HERE
And that's where the saying "wrong way Corrigan" comes from.
FYI


The other day I took Lois to lunch, I think it was my turn.   We were the first patrons of the season at the Up River Cafe.

Smile Lois.   It's delicious!!!

A great view, and awesome food.
Win, win.

The "Circles" baby wrap is finished and gone.

Today I did some weaving, then I did something I have wanted to do for a while.

I made homemade pasta.

I must say I did ok for my first attempt.
And it was delicious.


Then I spent the afternoon with my granddaughter.   She is very musically inclined.

Later today, she had her long hair cut, and donated 9" of it to cancer patients.

I love that girl.

Hello

It's been an interesting week or so.

I have been working at getting rid of the rest of the big fabric rolls in the barn.   A friend/previous weaving student was out in the barn with me, going through them, and filling her car full.
I had a big warping board in the corner, and asked her if she wanted it.
She did.
I reached for it,  it seemed stuck, so I gave it a yank.  Unfortunately, the edge of it was behind a chair that was hanging from the wall.  The chair came down hard, and hit me in the left cheekbone, knocking me back.  I staggered, but did not fall, and in that moment I was sure my orbit was fractured.
My face was cut and bleeding, I managed to get out of the barn and into the house

I was in quite a bit of pain, and eventually DH took me to Urgent Care, where I got my face sutured up, got a tetanus shot, and had my face x-rayed.  The X-rays were negative.

Needless to say, I woke up the next morning with a swollen face, and a huge shiner.  The next couple of days were a blur.  I honestly felt terrible, and couldn't get out of my own way.



A few days later, I came to, and have been improving ever since.

Of course, the whole event scared me, we all know what happened the LAST time I hit my head.



Anyway, Circles baby wrap in reds and browns is done.
 I am very pleased with it.

I am concentrating on keeping my focus, and my focus is weaving.

I am not interested in drama, or competition, or anything that I find wasteful and frivolous.   There is so much of that going around.  I simply can't be bothered.

Life is too short, I treasure every good moment I have.  I'm not giving it up for nonsense, or for a falling chair.
Nope, neither one.

Greener Grass

My favorite day is one with Dale.  

She loves the chickens, and she loves to gather the eggs.   She does try to be gentle with them, but she is only 2 and 1/2, so they didn't all make it in the house.

She would have sat with one on her lap all morning, but the chicken had other ideas and flew down.

 She definitely could be Mimi's little helper with the "girls".

DH is officially having a late life crisis.
Ha!!!
Not really, but he is enjoying being retired, and finally took to heart the advice I have been giving him for years.
Life is short.

His Mustang GT finally arrived from sunny Florida.  He's been waiting for weeks.

He's a happy teenager  man.   I guess that's how I feel about getting a new loom.

I am busy weaving a semi custom baby wrap, on the Circles warp, in reds and browns.

The news about Miss Puss is that she is NOT hyperthyroid, she is diabetic.

She is on insulin twice a day, which did not make me happy.  Even though I have given thousands of injections in my 30 year nursing career, I wasn't thrilled about the prospect of giving them to her.  But I want her to be ok, so I sucked it up, and I think we have it down now.

She is still horrible and mean to Roy and Sydney and Jinksie, but she is glued to me every chance he gets.

And she is uncharacteristically sweet and lovable.

 Sydney is not impressed.

 I needed a little sweetness myself, so I made this Strawberry Yogurt Bundt cake, and oh my, it is wonderful.
DH threatened to eat the whole thing. (  recipe here  )

 Today I took a walk with Roy.........out in the field beside our house.    I love the open meadow, and that got me to thinking about the lawn issue that has been bugging me.

 For the last few years, I have paid to get my very large lawn mowed.  The nitty gritty is that my husband can't do it, and with my neck fusion, mowing the lawn is instant neck pain for me.

For two years, my neighbor has kept it looking amazing, mowing and trimming once a week.   But let me tell you, it is expensive.  Not that he doesn't deserve every penny he charges, because he does.
But it hurts to spend the money, week after week.
Now I know what that phrase really means......."fixed income".

So I've been doing a little google work, and exploring the idea of letting the lawn go WILD.
I know, it sounds criminal, decadent, far out.

But think about it.....we spend hours and hours or a lot of money to keep our lawns manicured and the grass less than 2" long.
WHY?
My side yard is a dog yard.  I know Roy would not care one bit if we let it grow.

The front yard is on the road, so we don't go out there and sit either.

If I sit outside anywhere, it will probably be in the chicken yard, where I have conversations with the "girls",  and they keep their grass DOWN by themselves.

So why? honestly, why?  we pollute the air, create a very sterile environment, and prevent the natural progression of things.......grass growing.

So I broached it to DH, who honestly received it better than I thought he would.  It took him a few minutes to realize that I was serious, then another couple of minutes to process "letting the lawn go wild", but then, I saw the light go on.

Why are earth are we throwing money away that could be used to take us to Maine on vacation?
Really.

So it's on.........Crazy as a Loom, with its new wild look.   The more I think about it, the more I LOVE it.

Thanks Alice, for the encouragement. :)

It's morning.

I frequently complain that the cats wake me up every morning, specifically Jinksie, who comes to my bedroom door precisely at 6am, and cries.

But the truth of it is, I love being up at 6am.  Once the cats are fed, and my coffee is made, I sit in the  living room in the semi dark, the pellet stove keeping the room toasty warm.

Sometimes I just sit and ponder what I am going to do today.   I read my emails, and do a puzzle or two.   It's so quiet, and peaceful.  It's my favorite time of day really.

Speaking of cats, Miss Puss has lately been acting out of character.  She cries for food all day long, she follows me, and swats at me if I don't get it quickly enough.   She is very vocal,  and she has lost weight.  So I took her to the vet, who thinks she is hyperthyroid.  We should know today.  Then she will have to be medicated twice a day for the rest of her life.  My choice of administration is pills or  cream inside her ear.  Either way, I am going to get hurt.



Lois recently wove a custom runner.  I picked out the fabric, but she did the tough job of putting it all together so that it worked.
And it definitely does.
This may be her best weaving to date.  
I am kind of sorry I can't keep it.

My friend, and former student, Sue, knows of my love of CATS, so she made me this as a house warming gift.......She does amazing work piecing quilts, but now that she is an accomplished weaver, I wonder how much of it she does.  I think she has the weaving affliction pretty heavy. :)

I am weaving a baby wrap for my friend Rini, in Maine, with her reeled mulberry silk, on my cotton warp.

It is beautiful, but silk is definitely harder to weave with than cotton, just because it is so slippery, and wants to tangle.

 When it's done, I will post her wearing it.


Apparently, Dale, wants to get in on the baby wrap craze herself, using one of Mimi's hand woven dish towels.

Clever girl!

From there to here

Even though I am a train wreck, I manage to get things done.
Pure pit bull mentality, I think.

My first baby wrap tester is off the loom and in the box, ready to go to FIVE baby mamas to be tested.  They will review it, and comment on its desirability, or not.


I love getting up in the morning to this.

The loom waiting, the sun pouring in.
I refuse to let any pain dictate to me that I won't love this day.  Somehow.  Some way.

Finally off the loom........this thing is mammoth.

Washed, dried, pressed, ready for hemming and inspection.
Nerve wracking, hoping I don't find mistakes anywhere.

Here is my "middle marker", a place for the wearer to identify the middle of the wrap, to easier wrap their baby.

I am humbled by the journey that my weaving has taken me on.   I never envisioned doing what I am doing now.
Of course, head injury issues had a lot to do with it.
But I'm ok with that.

I have progressed through my weaving life, loving it all, and learning every step of the way.  I have made friends, and met wonderful people.
I wouldn't change that for anything.
In fact, I can't imagine my life without weaving in it.
I don't want to.

I have been so immersed in this "Circles" baby wrap, that I dreamt about weaving it all night.

Sometimes I wake up tired, no surprise there.

I feel like I am sending a child off to school, the bus stopping at the top of the driveway,  brakes squealing, my little one turning to wave before leaving to go out in the big, wide world.

It makes me a little sad, and happy and content all at the same time.

It's the circle of life.

Just a few pictures.

I've been rooting this plant for a while, after one of the cats broke this piece off one of mine.
It's some kind of begonia, but beats me what particular kind.
I love house plants.

 A couple of days ago, I took the day off from weaving and went to Vermont with a friend.
Vermont has gone a bit crazy with solar panels.  Some local residents think they have gone 'overboard'.

These were not here last time I traveled this road.....look closely, there are a LOT of solar panels.

 They stretch on and on.
They do, in my opinion, ugly up the landscape.

I am certainly not opposed to solar energy, but the thought appears that maybe we need to use LESS energy.  Maybe THAT is part of the solution?

Nothing says a relaxing lunch with an old friend like two Switchback drafts.

The Otter creek was ripping.

I love Middlebury.  There are so many of these old buildings in such good shape.

In Vermont, they are proactive about not wanting you to smudge up the air.

Back at home, my Sure Fit chair cover that I purchased on Ebay, came today.
Once again, my furry feline friends cost me $$$.   I bought this just to keep them from scratching my leather chair.

I love the morning light through these old windows........I can't believe I took time away from coffee making to take this.

One of my favorite times of day, me and Roy, in the early morning light.

Yesterday I was on the road again, to spend time with my youngest grand girl.
She adores her little friend.

She is also so gentle with her, it is sweet to watch.

The garage door opened, she heard it and said, "Is that my mommy?"

Then, "It IS my mommy!"

 Such joy.   Priceless, I tell ya.

Back home, taking Roy for a walk in the pumpkin field, looking back at  the old homestead.
I swear I have waited my whole life just to live here.

Life is good, pain and all.