Sunday Sunday

328 posts in 2011
260 posts in 2012
156 posts in 2013

Guess that tells the tale, doesn't it?   2013 was a tough year.
So far, 2014 has been much better.  Different, but better.

I am learning to take time off, to do totally what I want to do.
Like sitting on a lawn chair in the chicken run, just to see what's what.

 

"Clicking with the chickies," as Karen pointed out.

Look at my little girl with the naked neck.  It is starting to fuzz over.....but look at how small she is  next to "Tank".

I didnt weave today.  I took the day OFF.  What a concept.

I went to visit my dear friend, and we had a lovely time.

Then I came home and made pies.

Blueberry

 

Rhubarb

And then I made some Pesto Spinach quesadillas that I found on Pinterest.
They were SO good.  And easy.  A winning combination in my book.

Tomorrow is baby day.
:)

Summing it up

Early morning walks are the best.  Sometimes it's hard to get started, but once out there, I am always so glad I made the effort.

I'm not sure when it happened, but I changed my mind about the chicks.   I only have 13 now, as my friend came for her half.  We had 28 to start, two died, one after just a couple of days, and the other from being pecked.  There is still one little one who was pecked, but she is holding her own.

So maybe it is just because 13 are a lot more manageable, or maybe it was how they peered out the window to see if someone was coming to feed them.

But anyway, for whatever reason, they are staying put.  I even bought them some mealy worms.  Thanks, Karen.

I spent lovely quiet time at the studio this week.  Weaving.  Just being there.   Breathing.

Loving my old house.

 Next year, we will live here, and I can't wait.

In the meantime, I am busy weaving container rugs, restocking the shelves.

 

Of all the things I do here at the studio, this is one of my favorite things to do.

 

 It's like painting with fabric.
And it's just too much fun.

 

I don't do much preplanning.  

Oh, seriously, I don't do any.

I pick colors as I go.

 

I am usually happy with the results.

 

I will get back to my AVL and my second baby wrap, but right now, it's bright, colorful, container rugs.

 I make a huge mess, with fabric everywhere.   

 

But I think it's worth it.

This week has been therapeutic, spending time doing what I love.  Not worrying about the rest of it.

So I guess I won't take the bridge any time soon.

Decompression

I've been busy  this spring, watching my grand baby, planting the garden, trying to get my life back on track.  Some days it just seems like there is never enough time.

I needed baby chicks like I needed another hole in my head.
Not everyone can say that.  I guess that is ONE of the perks.

I am hoping that as they get bigger, I will like them.  So far, I don't really.
I have two little barred rocks that are being pecked, probably to death.

There are two camps, first those who say separate them, put them in the bird cage; and second, those who say they'll make it or they won't, and that's the scheme of things.  God's plan.
What do you think?

And all you who love your chickens, please tell me why?

I heard from a friend the other day on the subject, who sent me several links to articles about how intelligent chickens are.  I couldn't argue with them.

But what I see doesn't compute.  I see aggravation.

Today, I just needed some alone time at the studio, and that's just what I got.

 Did some accounting, some shipping, some reconciling accounts, and then finally got some weaving done.

Tying fringe is just better with a Corona.
That's my take, anyway.

I was really enjoying myself, playing with colors at the loom.   No pressure.  Just a lovely quiet day by myself.
 I could feel myself getting calm and feeling better.

I have always needed my "alone" time, even as a child.  My mother used to worry about it, I'm not sure she ever got over that.

I have sold about 13 rugs in the past week, so my goal is to replenish my stock.

Three down, ten to go.
But oh, are they ever fun.

Starting over, every day.

While it seems that my head is finally healing, and my life is feeling more normal, I still struggle with the nagging suspicion that my brain has indeed been rebooted.
Or perhaps I am just getting older, or it is a combination of head trauma AND age.

But my priorities have changed.  My perspective is vastly different.
Some days that's ok, and other days I don't quite know what to do about it.

Mostly I find that the simplest parts of my day make me the happiest, and I find myself longing for those things.
Excessive noise, confusion, crowds, anything the least unnerving, leaves me cold.

For a long time, I was unmoved by things that had previously made me happy.  I felt like I was suffering from some kind of amnesia.  I would go to the studio, and feel totally at a loss about what to do next.
I think I'm getting better.  I didn't know it would take so long.

Today we were weaving.   L finished this rosepath rug.  She's definitely got this down.

 

And I was making a couple of container rugs, my faves.

 

I remember now what I didn't like about chickens, all those years ago when I had them.  They are pretty dumb, and mean to each other, for starters.
But these chicks are getting big, and feathering out, and whatever I'm doing, it must be right, because they seem happy enough.
The little "pecked" one  is out with the rest, as of today. I kept her in the bird cage as long as I dared.  She was lonely, and she has  to make her own way.  So I put Vicks on her neck, and let her go.  A big yellow chick ran up to her like she was about to PECK her hard, but she must have got a whiff of Vicks, because she didn't.  Then they all kind of checked her out, and apparently Vicks is a deal breaker.
For a while, she stood by herself, in the corner, and I felt sure that she was not going to make it.
But later when I went out, she was snuggled up against a big yellow chick, and as I watched, my little chick PECKED the bigger one.
I'm like, " NO NO, for GOD'S sake, don't START it.  Be NICE."

Thank God they grow up quicker than children.

13th Lake

Last year L and I took a drive to North Creek, NY,  and we went to 13th Lake.  It was so beautiful, I said right then that I wanted desperately to kayak the length of it.  I took pictures from the launch site, and wrote a blog post about it.  I even made some greeting cards with the photos.

But of course kayaking 13th Lake  was not meant to be last year.  Surgery #2 arrived, then my mother got sick, and was sick all summer, then my headache came back with a fury, and my mother died, and on to surgery #3.
So over this past winter, I made a list, of all the lakes and ponds that I want to kayak, and 13th Lake was at the top.

L tried to convince me to go somewhere closer, maybe easier.
But my mind was made up.
I am not putting off until tomorrow what makes me happy today.
I have found out the painful, hard way that life, quality life, is short.

  So daughter #1 and I headed out this morning.  She had never been there, but I don't think that she was disappointed.

 The day could not have been more perfect.
The sun was warm, the breeze was lovely, and though we were warned about "black fly" season, and were prepared, we never saw them.
We didn't even use the bug spray.

And loons were everywhere.
We love loons.

 We paddled two miles to the far end, and then two miles back.

Every day that allows me to live my life like this, is a day to be grateful for, to cherish.

There is nothing quite like the Adirondacks.  It is a special place.  Winding roads, small towns, towering mountains, crystal clear lakes.
If you haven't been, you should put it on YOUR bucket list.

Days like today make me  wish I had never wasted a minute of my life to drama.
It's such a waste.

I may look like I'm scowling, but it's just the sun, and concentrating.
I am really happier out in that kayak than a body has a right to be.

 Check it off:   13th Lake.  What a wonderful beginning to the summer.

Big doings.

Can I just say that baby chicks are a pain in the..............well, you know.
They are a lot of work.   I have had chickens in the past, but NEVER chicks.
omg.
One night I actually stayed over at the studio, so I could run out there every couple of hours to make sure the light was at the right height that they didn't freeze.
I had them in a huge metal water trough inside the chicken coop.  They are growing so fast, I think they were getting overcrowded.
The other day I noticed one little barred rock crouched down and not moving.
I picked her up to find that her neck was pecked and in rough shape.

 So I put her in a box by herself....with food and water.  I have fed her a little boiled egg, and while I was expecting to find her dead, she is actually doing much better.
But she wants out.
Chickens are social birds.  She doesn't like being alone.
So today, after two days of being in this box, I tried her in with the rest.  They immediately started pecking the back of her neck.

I fetched her out quickly.

Then I had a bit of a brain storm.   I went to the barn, where I had a bird cage hanging.....cleaned it out, put some shavings in it, some food and water, and put her in it.
As you can see, she can see them, and hear them, and while it may not be a perfect solution, it is the only one I could come up with for the time being.
I would love to hear any suggestions.

Oh, and I did take them out of the metal container, and put up this corrugated cardboard, so they wouldn't hide under the nesting boxes, where I couldn't keep a good eye on them.

I think they will be easier when they are grown.

Finally the kitchen construction is done.  And while I could have opted for the "Country Living" completely new kitchen, I am pretty happy with my old/new kitchen.  
It's perfect.

I have to get knobs for the cupboards, and the floor needs to be sanded and refinished around the new ones, where the bathroom used to be.

I love my old house, and it's important to me that any renovation I do feels right.

This does.

It's especially fun, when an idea that was brewing in my head, comes to fruition, and is even nicer than I expected it to be.

I'm not keeping you awake, am I Sydney???