Hermitville

I have been happily ensconced in my hovel this weekend, playing with my fabric and sewing machines. It feels so calming to stay busy with projects and working on ideas inspired by fellow artists. Even though there was a lot of hand work involved-ugh-combining Michele's ceramic tiles with my hand printed fabric, the result has become a wonderful art piece. The vessels arrived and await their completion. I am a happy hermit. No more photos till the show opens.
    It's too cold to rake leaves or move dirt anyway. Time for that soon enough. I will be happy to start early spring planting and want to start seeds for some of the crops in the house. Snow peas, greens, chard, etc. I'm sure I can find plants for the late spring/summer plants. The raised bed should be ready soon enough. Gotta get lots of soil to add to the rotted leaves I've been piling all winter.
   I'm still getting to know my new machine as well. I went into settings and thought I had fixed the typing mode to auto spell and capitalize, but NO!!! A thorough investigation is in order! Harumph. And I never ventured to the office supply for the external mouse, so I'm fiddling with the swirly, fingery thing still.
    All in all, it has been a restful weekend. Life is good.

BTW

I have been making a piece of art in collaboration with a friend who makes the most beautiful hand built pottery. The show opens in February, so I'd best be getting on with my bad self and finish!!!

These are the fabrics I painted. 

This is the photocopy I used to screen print the fabric

The omens are good

This rotten head cold took a turn towards coughing fits last night, and I overslept and was late to my duties early this morning. Yet, the day progressed, without any fatalities, and I got errands accomplished, had a delightful lunch of spring rolls, hot tea, and delicious pho! The cure for the common cold.

   When I got home, I went straight to my bed for a 2 hour nap and one of the best crazy dreams I've had in a while. I just love a good crazy dream, especially one I can interpret upon a bit of reflection. 

  Physically and mentally prepared, I went to visit my friend at her demolished house to check on the remodel. Wine in styrofoam cups and festering refrigerator needing unloading were tasks at hand. Of course, hugs and pats on the back to reassure that chaos will bring forth beauty in wonderful new kitchen, perfect for entertaining and production of gourmet meals, which said friend desires. 

   Back to my hovel, to make meatballs and watch 2014 version of Godzilla, sure to inspire a good crazy dream or two.

Technology in the new year

For the last few months, I've been itching to have a new gadget of some sort. I knew I couldn't afford the MacBook of my dreams, so I found this lightweight PC at Office Max while shopping for ink pens. WHAT?? Yes, I came home with HP Stream-the Chromebook killer-for around $230. It's blue, my favorite color and has Windows 10. It also has an internal mouse, which I hate and my next purchase will be a wireless mouse!!!
   My son told me Windows 10 was not of the devil so I decided to give it a try for the reasonable cost of the machine. Of course, I will never give up my other laptop with 7 until the terrible day Microsoft no longer supports that operating system. That machine is full of documents and photos and runs so sloooowwww I only go in there when I absolutely have to. So many files for banking, taxes, insurance, ugh.....it knows all my scanning and printing preferences. It's my friend who's been with me through the hard times and the old days of learning the world of computering.
    I wrote my first blog posts there....good times. Now, hardly anyone reads my blog, yet I can't give it up. I bared my private moments, as much as I dared. Maybe everyone tired of the constant photos and stories of my yard projects. How could that be!!! My yard and garden are awesome! Maybe, I didn't post enough of my artistic adventures. Well, the divorce and need for making a living got in the way of that fun!
    So, here I am, with the new machine. Yes, I'll still use the other PC laptop and yes, I'm still totally enamored of the Ipad, my go to machine, as long as I have wifi. But this new machine, so blue, so fresh, so devoid of crap, oh so sweet. Weighs almost nothing. And did I say it's blue? My favorite color?
    The next time I'm here there will be a wireless mouse because I HATE this swirly, fingery pad!

 

The end is near

The last few days of 2015 remain and I wonder if I should look back in retrospect, to divine some knowledge to help me construct a plan for the new year, or just say "Fuck it!" and get on with the day to day grind, with no mind to the imaginary boundary of time. Probably the latter. 

   One day blends into another anyway, it seems. This feeling can definitely be attributed to the lack of sunlight! I am so looking forward to getting back in the yard and watching things come up from the ground, becoming green. The raised bed should be ready for crops by the last frost date. The beds around the deck are settled and I will get myself together earlier this winter for peas and other early plantings. 

    I have a few art projects to accomplish during the upcoming crappy, cold days of January and February. I will be very happy to bury myself in some creative endeavors, as I must take my head in a completely different direction for awhile. That is the one retrospective analysis I've gleaned from my experiences this past year!! 

   So let's raise a glass to the new year, whenever it decides to start itself.....

Closing in....

Less than two weeks before the BIG pesky winter holiday and the weather is nothing less than balmy. A lovely evening out here on the porch, all tidy and rearranged to my suiting. I was up early in a baking mood and gifted neighbors with goodies. I live in one of the best heighborhoods in this country and maybe that contributes to my ever present joyous feelings. Not a whiff of snobbery here, only good vibes all round. 

  With the coming new year, it comes to my mind if I should start anew somehow. This past year started off with many complications. Yet, I was able to weather through and wage a small unsuccessful  fight to keep my beloved grandson near me. I distracted myself in romantic endeavors which proved equally unsuccessful and somewhat disappointing. I'm calling 2015 the year of men. The year before was the year of family. Maybe 2016 needs to be the year of me. 

  Artistic projects have gone by the wayside, and that is problematic. I cannot let my creativity shrivel, as that would be the end of me......

    So I leave you, dear readers, to ponder future efforts in a more productive arena, and fulfill my less carnal desires. 

They are upon us.....

The pesky winter holidays are coming closer, friends and loved ones! Since the last one, Thanksgiving, I have been a total slug, except for certain duties. I guess it was all the food and drink......yeah, right. One of the activities that got checked off my list today, was the annual holiday card. Photos were taken, downloaded to website, design chosen, sly and funny message added, order placed. Pick up, postage purchase, addressing of envelopes will ensue shortly. 

   I do love cards, sending and receiving! Two have arrived already and I feel like I'm falling behind. Other projects have fallen by the wayside in my stupor, and I must snap out of it, get to gettin' and all that. This past year seems like it has gone on for months and months, but is snowballing to its inevitable end. 

   The photo accompanying this post is a bit of a spoiler alert, yet I cannot resist showing Jerry in her best photobomb!