Surprise Visit.

Many years ago.....like 20-25, I was on an online chat group, called Rug Talk.

I made friends, and I learned a lot about rug weaving.  Some of those friends are gone, and some are still around.

Several days ago, I got a message from one of them who lives in Wisconsn, she and her husband were touring the northeast in their RV, and would I like a visit?

 I've talked to "Karen in the Woods",  for all these years.  We shared info, we've sent things back and forth, we've admired each other's adventures from a distance.

When they got here yesterday, and she walked up on the porch, she looked exactly as I had imagined.  That doesn't always happen.  Even though you "know" someone on line, and you've seen photos of them, sometimes when you meet them in real life, it's a surprise, and not who you expected at all.

But Karen, other than being much taller than I thought, was a familiar, old friend giving me a big hug right away.

She and her husband Steve and I had a great visit, 

Needless to say, Willie liked them too.

I wish we lived closer, I can't imagine what we would get up to.  I

am pretty sure that we would have a blast, though.

I fell in love with their Winnebago RV........it's beautiful.

Unfortunately, I can't really imagine Willie and Naya liking it much at all.

Recently, I dumped Spectrum TV, to get my bill down.   These two helped me get a digital antenna hooked up, that I had given up on.  Now I get 21 channels that don't cost me a dime.

Happy dance here.

This past weekend, we had a family get together.  My three daughters continue to amaze me with their sweet selfs.

And these three........what can you even say about these three??????

Life happens, and today I can say that I am very grateful for mine.

What else is there, really?

August.

My trip to Urgent Care was not the end of my ankle injury.

It got worse and worse, until I finally had to admit that I had cellulitis.   A trip to my doctor and more antibiotic treatments,  a culture, and  more elevation and hot packs.

Finally, after about 10 days, it began to get better.  I was getting a little worried, to be honest.

My zinnias are doing ok, after being covered with a plastic fence until they were past the tender, delicious stage.

My decision to finally give up any attempt to do yard work, is beginning to make

me very happy.

The front of my house was all grown up, in fact, you couldn't even see the house from 

the road.  That may sound like. a good thing, but it looked like hell.

My teenage yard worker (with some help from his dad) has done an incredible job.

No more worry about the yard, and no more procrastination.  I am putting  money away every year for yard care.  Done deal.

Suddenly it's August.  Did you ever notice the change in the air this time of year.  

You can feel the autumn just around the corner.

As much as summer has to offer, I still love fall the best.

I took 60 items of clothing to the guild show last November, and I told myself then, that this year, I would only take 40.

But today, I counted, and I have 44 items of clothing already.

Maybe I'll start making more towels.

Today I did the unthinkable.  I took an 8 yard warp, already threaded, off the loom.

I hated it, and I could not in good conscience make myself weave it off.  It took me three hours to sley and thread and wind on that warp, and it took me 10 minutes to take it all off.

So now to thread a new warp.  I have to be crazy.

I took a break from weaving,  and made myself a new blouse.  I would change the 

neckline a bit on the next one, but I do like it.

The iron infusions have made a huge difference.  I am not napping every day.

I have energy to do things, and I feel like I just woke up.

Amazing.

I was talking to a friend today, about a trip long ago that we took, to a very rural area in northern New York, to get a loom.  We were both trying to remember the particulars, and I said. "oh, wait, I'll look in my blog"

And here it is:

https://crazyasaloom.blogspot.com/2011/06/for-love-of.html

It's true, any time I want to remember something that happened, or when it

 happened, 

I only have to look back in these pages, and for sure, it is there.

My daughters have even asked me about certain events, and the answers were right here, in my blog.

It's been like a diary of sorts, a chronological reporting of times in my life.

I  kind of wish I had started it years ago.

The Big Reveal

 My sewing room was too crowded.  I was crunched into the corner with my sewing machine, and every time I moved my chair, it got stuck on the heat grate.

I realized that I was trying to make that one room work for several different things.

On the encouragement of a friend, I decided finally to do some moving.

Here is the "old" sewing room,  and its new look, with actual floor space, and it feels so good.

I can't believe that I haven't done this long ago.

Part of my plan to get more iron in my diet, is to include fortified cereals.

I never knew that some cereals, Total, Honey Nut Bunches of Oats, Multi grain

Cheerios, and others, have 16 to 18g of iron per cup.

So cereal with almond milk it is.

And yes, that's Willie watching me,  because he's never far away.

The sewing room was  moved, a little bit at a time.

This cupboard had to be emptied to make room for sewing paraphernalia.

And voila!  My new sewing nook.   It's really perfect, and I love it.

The light is amazing.

"Desert Twilight"

That's the name my FB followers chose for this hand dyed warp.

It's time to get dyeing again.

So the other day, when my energy was up, I decided to cut some knotweed and locusts that 

were blocking the view of the road, when pulling out of the driveway.  I was going to 

do about 6 feet, and then another 6 feet the next day, and more every day.

Unfortunately, in the process I got stabbed with a cut locust tree.   It punctured my ankle, and got my attention right away.  It bled a lot, and it hurt a lot.

I came in and poured peroxide on it, and dressed it.

But still, two days later, it was red, and swollen, and hot.

And it throbbed.

So I made my way to Urgent Care, and got a tetanus shot,  and a script for antibiotics, 

along with instructions to elevate the ankle for a couple of days.

Oh, yay.

So here I am,  Elevating my leg.   Someone has decided to take over.

I told you, he's never far away.

Shazzam.

Looking back, I find it hard to get my head around where this last year has gone.

I've lived alone here now since last June, and I'm just beginning to understand how much my life has changed, and how much I have adapted.

I am doing it, even though at first I couldn't imagine how I would.

Here's my first garlic crop.  Twenty heads of hard neck garlic.   I am very pleased with them.

I have a natural warp on the Louet, and this is a mōbius shawl with a rose milk weft.

For several months, my Frigidaire refrigerator has been leaking water every day.

The seal was gone, and it was making horrific noises.

I made the decision to cut my losses, and buy a new one.  I decided on a side by side, 

so I have more freezer space.

This is the road we usually walk the dogs on, not much chance of seeing anyone, and that's

perfect for Willie.

Another mōbi off the same warp, this one has a rayon warp.  It's a little heavier, but 

still very soft.

This next one was the original treadle sequence, which I didn't particularly like, the red and 

the black ones above were woven with a random treadling that I came up with.

I decided a long time ago, that I did not have to treadle a draft the way it called for.

My boy.

As I have talked about previously, I have been getting increasingly exhausted.

I described it as "bone tired", and getting anything done was a huge challenge.

My first iron infusion was last Tuesday,  and just this weekend, I am beginning to 

feel the effects of it.

This weekend I have gotten more done than in two days than  I have in weeks and weeks.

Today, I feel like ME.   Wow.

The energy I have today is almost scary.   Almost.

I had a wonderful beet salad at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago, so I came home and recreated it.

 I have two more iron infusions, and I can't imagine how much better I will feel after I get them.  I am so grateful to the doctor who finally listened, and put two and two together.

This is Lois' corner, where she is working on dish towels.

In my energized state, I decided to change the studio up.   My friend, Sue, gave

me lots of good ideas and things to think about, and this afternoon, I started moving 

things.  It might take a few days to get it all together, but when I do, I'll be back with photos.

I'm so excited.

Quiet

The heat and the humidity are tough everywhere.   I am not sure why 

people cannot relate this to global warming.   I saw a post that said yesterday was the 

hottest day on record, and the next hottest was the day before that, and the next 

hottest was the day before that!!!

Seems pretty clear.

I have been working inside for the most part, with quick forays to do things

outside, but nothing heroic.

On the medical front, (I believe at my age the medical front is never

ending, just saying) I have been notified by my doctor 

that my iron levels are in the toilet, which

 may account for my extreme fatigue.

And here I was blaming Covid that I had at Christmas.

So I am waiting for the hospital infusion center to call me to go in

and have an  IV iron experience.

I tried the oral kind, and that didn't work well.   I had extreme stomach cramping for days.

The big question is though: 

Why is my iron so low?????

I think it's because I am a vegetarian, and this past year, I have not been very 

good about my diet.

I had reasons.

This is Lois's work, but she is in the hospital, and hopefully will be back at it soon.

We are quite the pair.

I have done some weaving, and quite a bit of sewing.

This is a ruana in hand dyed merino wool and silk.

I love the draft.

I have been eating a lot of caesar salads, with portobello mushrooms.  It's one 

of my faves.

My sweet little Naya has been struggling with anxiety for months now.

At first it was just fireworks, and that has been the case since day 1.  But then 

she started having little panic attacks daily.  We could not figure out why.

Shaking, pacing, panting, drooling.

I had a med for "fireworks", but it didn't prevent them from happening, 

just took the edge off while they were.

So back to the vet, and she's been on Prozac now for quite a while.

The attacks have lessened, but they haven't totally gone away.

I didn't want to give it to her twice a day, but at some point I may have to.

It's horrible to see her in such distress.

Once again, can I just tell you how weaving has been such a life

savior to me.

I still get up in the morning, and I can't wait to get to it.  There is no way 

to even describe how comforting it is to me.   Only another weaver would get it, I guess.

I do have to get back to the dye work........maybe after I get pumped up with some iron.

Plugging along here in Kingsbury..........checking in.  

I don't really have any words of wisdom today.........some days are just that way.

Surrender

I am sure the world has gone mad, and sometimes I wish I lived on a mountain, with no access to any kind of media.  

I know that is a pipe dream, can you ever get away from it????

But this week has been particularly disturbing.

A father who shoots his three sons, in the yard, in front of their mother.  They were beautiful little boys, ages 3, 4, and 7.   Why?

Five people in a submarine, 2.5 miles down in the ocean, looking for wreckage of a ship that's been there for over 100 years, surely not to be rescued.  They went voluntarily.  Why?

The world is a mind boggle much of the time, and maybe it always has been, but now, it is in 

our face, daily.  The magnitude of our disconnect.

On so many levels, the internet is a wonderful thing.

And yet..........

Wasn't life so much simpler before? 

Useless pondering, I know.

But now I understand my elderly mother's reminiscing about times past.  How much she enjoyed traveling back down memory lane.  I didn't get it then, but now I do.

Getting older sometimes makes you smarter, not feebler.

Often I beat myself up with the thoughts that I "should" be doing something, traveling, being more social, being more adventurous. joining groups. buying nicer clothes, dressing up more, getting out more,  I ask myself, "what ever happened to you?"  

You didn't use to be such a hermit.

Then at times, I get sucked into the FOMO mentality.   OMG,  fear of missing out.  It even sounds ridiculous.

What I've realized is this.

I'm fairly old.  I've been on this earth for 76 years to date.  I've had an interesting, active, pretty wonderful life. I've been blessed in so many ways.   Hard times?   Absolutely.

But here I am, still on my feet, still weaving, still excited about every sunrise.

The truth is, I don't really want to travel.   I  don't want to be more social.  I am happy with the small circle of friends and family who elevate me, always.  I don't want or need a lot of fancy clothes, and in fact, if it's not totally comfortable, it's out.  I'm not losing weight, either.  Enough already, it's long past time to give up on that need to "fit in" or "measure up" or in any way waste a minute comparing myself to anyone else.  I eat sensibly, but if I want a bagel, I'm having a bagel.

No longer interested in impressing anyone at all.

Truth is, I'm incredibly happy right where I am.

Simple, perhaps, but nothing feels as good as this.

Me, and two dogs, and two cats.   A pack you might say.  And what is more comforting than to be with your pack???

Of course, before all the social media explosion, we weren't bombarded with everyone's "best" moments, their FB pages, and Instagram, and all the rest, where they appeared to be so incredibly perfect and happy.   

So we were more content in our own little worlds, and if we ventured out, on a big trip, it was an event, not a small part of a whirlwind life, like we see portrayed for us on the screen, continuously.

The sense of foreboding I have carried around since one year ago June, has gone.  Very 

simply, I have surrendered.   An old Al Anon word, "surrender".   Not giving up, oh no.

But surrendering to a higher power, accepting life as it is.  Loving it, as it is.

And gratitude, always.

Is it summer yet?

Here I am again.......I am appalled at my scanty blogging history this year.  I really 

can't believe I have been so distracted.  I keep telling myself that I will do better.

Yesterday was a crazy, disturbing day, when a mangy looking raccoon tried to break INTO the dog yard.   Yes, my dogs noticed.  There was a horrible screeching noise, and when I got them inside, they both had blood on their faces.

I have looked high and low, but the raccoon is nowhere to be found.  On inspection, there was a small opening between the stockade fence on the back of the yard, and the chain link on the side of the yard, and this is where the raccoon made the 

poor decision to try to get through.

I immediately called the vet, who said that even if the raccoon was rabid, my dogs are up to date on their rabies, so will be ok.

Never a dull moment.

Syd says:  "They are animals."

Last week I got on a sewing kick......that's how I roll.........you would think it would be 

easier to sew things when I take them off the loom, but no.

I weave for long stretches of time, and stack up the fabric.   Then one day,

I get the notion to sew, and for days I am to be found at the sewing machine.

 I finished seven möbius shawls.

One lovely ruana.

And five möbi shrugs.

It all goes on my FB page, Crazy as a Loom Weaving, and then gets safely hung up to wait for the guild show in November.

I do not have the energy or the motivation for any other shows.

Then after the guild show, I'll have my annual pre-Christmas sale.

That's my plan.

The raised beds are doing great with tomatoes, cukes, one zucchini, some peppers, some basil, and the garlic that I planted last fall.

The perennial garden is really starting to come together.

I am trying to keep everything outside as easy to take care of as possible.  I do some weeding, but that's about it.

 I am limping around still, and have been for two months.  Going to the chiropractor now, twice a week, so hoping that eventually I will be a little more mobile.   But to be honest, I have given up the idea of doing manual labor. I have been too hard on my body all these years, and now I really just need to take care of it.

I either hire someone to do the yard work, or it won't get done.

Hope everyone is enjoying these  early summer days.....it will be fall before we know it.