Changing things up.

It would have been nice to leave the wood siding on this old house, but this is the south facing side, and it began to get a bit expensive to keep painting it.

The exterior paints they make today do not last like the paints of old.  Probably that is because

there is no lead in the paint, to help it to stick to the wood.

But whatever, I cried UNCLE, and parts of my house are now vinyl.

To be honest, standing back from the house, you are hard put to tell the wooden parts from the vinyl ones.  The two sides that are wood, just don't get enough sun to warrant the expense of putting the vinyl all the way around.

I do wonder if my lilac bush will come back, my contractor had to cut a lot of it, to get to the side of the house.  He may have been a bit over zealous.

I really have been enjoying my "come back" to the studio of late......I feel more like myself, than I have since last spring.

I finished my neon yellow towel warp, and I'm using up some lace weight wool that I had already wound on spools.

This truly is my happy place, sometimes I think I don't need much more.

I have also come to appreciate the natural fibers, like cotton, and wool........and the dependable warps that they make.  I am thinking that the man made fibers make good wefts, and simplify my weaving life.

This morning I woke up and decided that it was time to clean the studio.   Not just clean, more like regroup.

So all morning, and into the afternoon, I cleaned, I rearranged, I moved things, I got rid of stuff, I vacuumed and dusted, and then by late afternoon, I decided to weave in my new, clean space.

Of course it gets dark so early, I felt like I was doing some "night weaving", even though I quit at dinner time.

The rearranging has changed the traffic flow, made it seem more open, and less congested.  I really like it.

Of course, the dog beds must stay, that is non negotiable.

All in all, it was a very satisfactory day.   Sometimes, I think that should just be my goal.

Satisfactory.

And that, my friends, can have many presentations.  

It's all in your perspective.

I want to give a shout out to my friend, and fellow weaver, Joanne Noragon, over at Cup on the Bus

She has just recently experienced a revolting turn of events, by breaking her leg, and she now has to muscle through the recovery.   Get better soon, Joanne........and get back to the loom.

Please send her good energy.

Meanderings

It comes to mind today, that I am not on my own on this journey of getting older.  There have been times, when I have felt alone in it, that it was just me, traveling this road towards the unknown.  And I will admit it, it felt pretty scary, when I allowed myself to go there.

But just this week, I have had occasion to talk to a few of my friends, who are also

experiencing the same thing..........aging......and the accompanying problems, worries, pains, and fears that go along with it.  I am far from being alone, there is a whole generation of us, in our 70's, headed towards the big 80, an age that honestly has sounded totally foreign until just lately.

I spend a lot more time looking back, than I have ever done before. Remembering people, places, and events that made up my life.

(me and my cousin Billy, 8th grade graduation, he's been gone for 17 years, we 

were born one day apart)

  It brings to mind that my mother was often nostalgic about the past, as she got older.  I'm not sure I understood it then, but I get it now.

I wonder what other people worry about, when they think about getting to the end of their life. 

 I know this probably sounds maudlin to some, but I worry about my dogs. .......  my kids, my 24/7 companions.    I worry that I won't live long enough, and that they will be homeless, separated, not loved.  The thought spirals through my head sometimes, late at night, and makes me physically ill.

I know my real children will be fine.   I raised three capable, wonderful daughters, who are totally in charge of their own lives, and their own families.

But Naya and Willie..........they rely on me.  

I move off the couch, they move off the couch.

I go to bed, they are right behind me.

The bathroom trips.....well, yes, they wait outside the door.....or they come right in given the chance.

Whatever room I'm in, that's the room they're in.

I leave..........Willie howls......and when I come back, they are both jumping up on the back door, taking off what's left of the paint.

I try to estimate the years they have, and then I pray to live at least that long.

Crazy??? Possibly.    

Naya will be 7 in January.......not an exact estimation, but close.

Willie, will be only 4.

I never thought about his age  when I adopted him....he was only 18 months old........what was I thinking???

And now, of course, I wouldn't give him up.

I read an article in the NY Times the other day.  

It bothered me for days, and I still don't like to really thing about it.

This couple in CA had IVF......the mom carried the baby, gave birth, and somewhere along the way noted that the baby didn't look like anyone......skin tone was a little darker, hair was black.......so eventually they had DNA testing done, and found out it wasn't their baby...........and they found out that it belonged to another couple, and that couple had their biological baby.  So after a YEAR, they swapped babies.

I'm sorry, but I cannot wrap my brain around this.

So they are saying that the origin of the sperm and the egg are MORE important than the baby that they have bonded with for a year.  They voluntarily gave it away.

I wouldn't give WILLIE away, or NAYA....you would have to restrain me to take either of them away from me.....but these people gave away their year old babies.  The trauma.....I can't even begin to imagine.  The siblings were distraught........understandably.

Will any of those children ever get over this???

I'm curious what you all think.....am I alone in thinking this is horrendous.

I know my daughter has an 18 month old.....and if someone told her that he was biologically not hers, she would never, ever, ever give him up.

I am not so sure that I like the world we live in today.....maybe that's why thinking about the world I grew up in, raised my children in, all those years of my life before now........maybe that's part of why they look so good, and why I occasionally find myself remembering.

I like to think it was better, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

I guess I'll go to bed, and put this brain to sleep.

goodnight all.

A little of everything.

I know Halloween is long gone, but I am still smitten with my daughter's handiwork.  She made all three costumes, and they were perfect.

Meet Wednesday Addams.  Complete with the "look".

 

And a very happy little ghost.

And this poor little zombie with a knife through his head!!!!!

I spent Saturday with these three, and loved every minute of it.  They completely wore me out.

But I have to confess, that the day after, weaving alone with two dogs, I was thankful for the quiet.

Getting back to feeling pretty productive in the studio.

Right now I'm working on a 25 yard warp of towels.

With the time change, the dogs and I are up at 5:30.   They go out, then they come back in for a little early morning snooze.

That doesn't last a real long time, because there is a lot of bitey face that needs to happen.

They are totally silly, and I have no idea what I would do without them.

This year, like last, was a year of no shows.   I am kind of surprised that it doesn't really bother me.

Sometimes change sneaks up on you,  and I think that has happened to me.  I was forced to slow down after my knee replacement, and getting back up to speed has been slow.

Maybe I will feel differently about shows next year, but somehow I doubt it.  

Outside chores have been about completed, and I'm getting myself geared up for 

the season.    There are always so many things to do.....I am never at a loss to keep myself occupied.

Retirement is time for all those things you love to do, and never, ever had enough time for.

That's where I'm at.   It's a pretty good feeling.

Five months after my knee replacement, finally, this week, I can walk down a flight of stairs like a normal person, instead of one stair at a time.   

Eureka!!!!!!!  Suddenly I think a normal knee is in my future.