To-Do

If I confess, that I have written my To-D0 list after it's been mostly completed, will you consider that cheating? Ahem....I have a need today to feel successful...so, here's my list:

Pick up tag end flowers for flower girl dotee completed doll pics maybe tomorrow tonight - she's a cutie Pick up tag ends for pincushions No pics needed, you saw all but now there are hearts and flowers on top :)

Get boxes for mailing Typing anything about this will only result in a confession about my other fabric store purchases so, 'nuff said.

Sew on pincushion flowers - Tonight!

Sew on dotee doll flowers - Tonight!

Pack for mailing Well, ready to close up the packages as soon as these tiny bits are complete

Finish applique on apron Pictures tomorrow

Finish Dana Dotee - This is my only weekend STAR item, and I'm looking forward to it, I think it will be fun to have only one thing to work on.

Post all items - Monday

Get cookie recipe to go with apron

Not a bad list of accomplishments for the week methinks. I'm looking forward to a low production weekend. Of course, that's if you don't count the regular stuff like laundry, bedmaking, vacuuming and other unmentionables.

This shall be a weekend of self-care and rest. I'm looking forward to it.

And..........no comments about how I'm looking forward to the weekend and it's only Wednesday.

5 Good Things

• The yellow against blue on my kitchen table is a REALLY good thing! It just makes me want to stomp a little on the way to the kitchen sink
• Monty's face makes me laugh! Have you seen Monty? I bet he makes you laugh too!



My grandson singing to me this morning on the phone, "Are you coming to see me, Malee??"
Busy students looking for obscure bits of knowledge; and I know where to find them!
Malusa's beautiful bags; her smiling face and the warmth of her friendship.

Today, I did not strain or struggle for five good things, today, I stop myself before the list becomes cumbersom to my few and patient readers. I am oh so very blessed.



~Lee

Pleiadian Dancer

I am so very grateful for silence. I am filled with the silence that comes when words defy, when knowing refuses to knit itself into shallow fragments of splattered truth. I am grateful that growing older means also growing deeper - and that after years of spin and turn, I have been given the grace to embrace the silence, and find peace in the knowing that will not be named. The words will bubble up someday, for now, I am content to let the truth resonate inside me, and turn my face to the eastern sky.

It really is Monday in a few hours

I did finish these little swap gifts this weekend. My stitching is soooooooooooo far from perfect. They are pretty and useful nonetheless and I em enjoying watching my stitches improve.

One of the BIG thoughts, that hasn't quite come together as a whole yet, has to do with being gentle with myself. I'm learning to enjoy the process and not feel determined to "produce", much less to produce perfection. I so love working with the wool felt; it feels so strong and, hmm what's the word? Something close to solid, and sure...somehow I feel very safe when I have the felt in my hands. I love to spin, and it's so meditative, but somehow, as centered as I can be while spinning, or even sewing or knitting, it feels fleeting. The wool felt says, " This is here to stay." And yet, it is forgiving too. I'm letting these things into my heart - here to stay, and forgiving. A far more profound feeling than you might imagine.

And here is Gloria. Gloria isn't quite finished; she's to be a flower girl. So, she needs some flowers I think. My partner saw her and immediately exclaimed, "That's All in the Family, Gloria!" And, I had to agree.
A productive weekend all in all; I did finish the laundry. Clean socks are important; what if you get in a car wreck? I even did some dishes. I'm looking forward to a peaceful, gentle week ahead; I have the apron to finish and the Dana dotee. Then, I think tis time for me to focus on indexing- so I'm putting myself on a swapping fast. Wishing all of you a lovely, gentle week as well.

Blatantly Avoiding Big Thoughts

And, cleaning my disgusting house! So, I stopped to read a few blogs, some new and fun ones and then I thought about reviewing my To-Do list...sometimes I think I like making lists more than I like doing lists. Here's the update (I live such an exciting life!)

Finish embroidering the apron - Almost...just a few more buds to do - right after this post!

Do the applique on the apron - Yes!

Sew the apron together - Not a prayer - Ha!

Finish two dotee dolls - Later this evening...I'm stewing about them now

One pincushion So close that I can cross off without guilt...she just lacks a little rose on top.

• Clean the bathroom - I did the hardest part (and you know what that is!) Now, everything else doesn't look so bad.
• Laundry - I might just skip this week...who needs clean socks?
• Finish Obama's Audacity - Close, way close, but since he kissed my grandson, maybe I'm exempt from truly having to understand (Note: There's something very important hidden in this concept somewhere...it worries me)
• ook for a dresser to refinish - okay, I came to my senses for the moment, besides, there was nothing appealing at Goodwill

Now, if that wasn't just the silliest waste of a blog post, I'm not sure what else it was. Hanging my head. I've had a lovely morning, I'm having a chicken breast and some sort of purple cauliflour for dinner and the big thoughts are still jellin...back to stitching now. Hope your weekend is equally pleasant.

Baby Kissing Politician

Well...I'm popping in for a surprise visit. I didn't anticipate blogging again until my big thoughts had come together. But! I just got this really fun phone call from my daughter and I wanted to blab about it. See that baby down there? You know, scroll, Kael! Well! He was just kissed by Barak Obama! Yes he was! Maggie walked right up to him and said, "Would you like to kiss a baby?" And he did! That might beat my story of Taj Mahal blessing my pregnant belly. How cool is that? My daughter just walked right up to him! I raised some brash young women, that's for sure. And, I'm very proud! And, I'm a little impressed that he was tolerant and gracious with Ms Brash Mama Maggie. Just makes it all human don't you think? Yes, human, and somehow that feels really very nice.

Questions for You all

I just happened to be skimming through some older posts of mine and noticed that there were new comments! I wonder if people thought I was rude not to respond. I'm afraid to name you now and mention your comments lest I forget someone. But do know that I love those comments! So, here's the question: How can I be notified of comments posted to older posts? And, I've noticed that for a few commenters specifically, I recieve no notification. I'll go back and check all my settings, but if someone would suggest a convenient way to make sure I never miss comments, I'd appreciate that.


I guess it was Thursday after all. What do you know! That really should be, "waddaya know!" I had a very quiet evening dozing on the couch; I sewed a little bit, did a few embroidery stitches and finally slept. And now, it's Friday. Yes, it is. It's Friday and my library is very quiet. I usually do paperwork, book reviewing, ordering and the like on Friday when there are no classes. But this morning I spent doing a job that I don't usually have to do, and for some reason which I avoid - shelving books. I suppose shelving books seems like (umm dare I say this?) menial work, beneath me. I am, after all, the manager here! I have no assistant at the moment though, and the job must be done and so I've done it. I can barely vbelieve my own snobbery sometimes! And, each time I do this work, I remember how much, once begun, I love it. I get to hold some of the loveliest books around - it's an art school! Just the sheer beauty of some of our volumes makes my mouth water even as I write. There's something magical about being the caretaker of books - I know, I know, it's not cool to accept that notion, we are, after all, the gatekeepers of the information. I know, I know. But the books, oh my, the books.

I've followed this with staightening some shelves, wiping tables, moving chairs, and in general, cleaning up. It's felt good. And my library looks just like any librarian wishes her library to look, neat and orderly and eager for Monday students to tear it all apart again. I really do love my job and I really am quite blessed to have it. I enjoyed waiting tables, and I still really love doing massage, but nothing ever felt this right....but then again - it's Friday and I'm alone in this quiet, organized space - I'm sure I'll feel differently next Thurday night. Everything cycles, yes?

I had some tender thoughts brewing all day Thursday and I want to write a really thoughtful blog post later on this weekend. Kismet. I suppose that some of your comments, and some of my own internal experience helped to bring the frothy stuff to a nice simmer. And, I'm grateful for that. It'll be ready soon to share. But for now, I'd like to share this lovely website that came to me; you might enjoy it.

Tschuss

It is NOT Thursday

It can't be. I just don't believe it!

This morning, I woke with all sorts of thoughts spinning round my mind...I considered making a list of them for you - but I'm not sure that I want you thinking that I'm really as crazy as I sometimes am. I started with, "Are they really rationing rice?" and ended up somewhere across the galaxy with a stop in between at a thought about blogs with "my crazy world" in their title, and how come my world is so placid? (okay, I said I didn't want you to know how crazy *I* am, not that my world is crazy!)

And then, I felt it hit.....that THING, that thing that happens when you want to DO SOMETHING. In the 70's some folks (not saying who) called this incident hunger. Only I have sort of this creative incident hunger goin on. Like, I want to empty out my bedroom and paint, and make new curtains and and and and...I need a piece of furniture to refinish! That's it. Hanging my head and shuffling my feet now let me tell ya! I have an apron, two dotee dolls, a pin cushion and a couple of other little things (an altered altoids tin for Nia's toothfairy days for one, promised months ago). I can't start a new project! But I want to! So, here's a couple of photos of some old projects - maybe that will just stave away this urge (but I'm already imagining paint cans, brushes, tarps...grrrrr).I loved these two projects and I have such a great time!

Were these in your grandmother's kitchen? They were in mine, bright yellow of course. I had wanted these for years, so I was really thrilled to pick them up at Goodwill on half price day for about $5 each! Perhaps some would say I ruined any "value" by painting them blue.....ppffftttt. I like 'em! Sometime I'll share the table and chairs from the same era, which I probably also ruined by painting them blue. (It's not working, I still want to smell paint and walk on tarps!)

The other little tidbit that I wanted to share with you is this:

I WON!!! I WON!!!

That little burst of enthusiasim almost, ALMOST quells the boiling need to paint something. But it's true! Check it out over at Violaceous. I can't wait.

How cool is that? How generous is that? I think blog give aways are just so much fun and I can hardly wait until I have something worthy of giving away. It just strikes me as terribly SWEET to send something you've created off to a complete stranger. Doesn't that idea just make you smile? I hate to sound pollyanna or anything but doesn't that somehow inspire your hope for worldpeace? Well...I started to say that I'm playing - but I'm not. These simple, sweet little things arouse hope and faith in me.

And now..my To-Do list! Which, as you will notice, contains several things from my last To-Do list...potential I tell you! Embrace the potential.....also, you will notice that shopping for an old, forgotten dresser, paint, sandpaper and rolling out the tarp is NOT on my list. Thank you very much!

• Finish embroidering the apron


• Do the applique on the apron


• Sew the apron together


• Finish two dotee dolls


• One pincushion


• Clean the bathroom


• Laundry


• Finish Obama's Audacity


• look for a dresser to refinish

SSSHHHHHHH I'm just lookin!

Notice how I left off a couple things? Didn't say anything about the birdcages or my indexing assignments. Well...hrumph! Unlike SOME of you - my list doesn't usually have an end date. These are weekend "I HOPES" and weekday spillage...(oh I'm feeling quite smug now). I can add the other stuff when this list gets too short, eh? (Can't have a short list now can we???) I'm off to read some of that indexing assignment. (really! in the goodwill parking lot).

5 Good Things

Okay - that's not quite truthful. I am going to write about 5 good things - eventually. But the title of the post should honestly be, "Chronic Pain." I, along with about 2% of the population; most of them women, have a condition called fibromyalgia. I might as well get the rest of the whine out now...I also have a couple of discs that are essentially gone, and a lovely, giant hemangioma growing in my spine. I use that BIG word because the word my doctor originally used to inform me (while I was on the cell phone shopping at Costco!) was, "tumor." Yep, right there in Costco, "You have a tumor growing in (not on!) your spine." It was my fault I'm sure, I should have taken the phone call at another time but I was too curious about the tests results. Fortunately, though hemangioma is the scarier word - it's the better word. It's not life threatening for the most part - just sort of grows into my spine and wiggles around, creating little cracks. Makes me think of Tremors (the best rainy day Saturday B movies around), wonder how many cracks my kids stepped on walking to school, and that maybe I have a Goa'uld taking up residence in my spine. But enough of that!

So......I have some days when I surely can't think of many good things. Days, like today when I'd just as well stay in bed until 3 PM - but I won't feel any better at 3 PM either. I don't like taking the pain meds and I don't like whining and not being able to do the things I'd like to do. A new blogging pal commented the other day; she wondered how I find the time to do my little projects. Well the truth is, sometimes those little projects are just about all I can do. I'd rather be doing fun gardening, refinishing furniture and a million and one other things that seem oh so attractive now that I really can't do them.

So, 5 good things, which I first spied at Be present....Be Here is sometimes a real life saver for me. I'm able to change my mind-set, even if I can't change my physical circumstances. So, here goes

1. My sheets this morning felt smooth, cool and soft - what a luxury most of us have to wake up in a bed, a comfy, safe bed at that. Some people don't, you know.
2. I tried that wonderful recipe on Crazy Aunt Purl's blog for a blueberry smoothie. YES! Sure started my day with a smile. Is it amazing how just the taste of something yummy can make you smile all day? Knowing that it's good for me is just icing.
3. My boss invited me to a meeting today which I normally don't attend. She thinks I might have something to add because I'm very much in contact with students. I feel less invisible at the moment than I often do. (though, I'll admit, invisibility has its perks)
4. Yellow is everywhere! There's incredible primrose(es?) outside our school. A student just handed off to me a bagful of her scraps and there's yellow peaking out everywhere. I'm so excited!
5. I am, I think, mastering an outline stitch. My little embroidery piece is coming along quite nicely and that makes me smile.

Okay, and number six is that my inventory shows all safe and accounted for. Another reason to smile. I did not quite finish the second little coin purse last night, or do the embroidery that I intended because, like sometimes happens, the pain and exhaustion just hit full-force and I went to bed way early. I did manage to make my first stop in Whole Foods (or as my new friend says, "Whole Paycheck") and OH MY GOODNESS! what a fabulous place! It was just so beautiful I could have lingered for hours. Good thing that blossoming pain circumvented that plan - I'm sure I'd have bought much more than the vanilla soy protein powder for my morning smoothie.

Back to my students - who should make the 5 good things list.

P.S. I would choose today to discover the spell check, right when I try out words like hemangioma and fibromyalgia - spell check exploded.

More than Quarters in my pocket

Here she is, all stitched up. Isn't this just too cute?

A nice little project bag, this holds a handful of embroidery floss, my little scissors and a few odds and ends. She's just a little wonky and so also included are the pieces for the second bag which I will swap. Those colors just make me grin - I can't help it. And you know what's funny about that is that there was a time in my life when I absolutely loathed yellow. I find these days that I'm craving yellow.

This project was fun; and it can be entirely handstiched. I think I'll be making several more and you'll be able to find them at Malee's Market soon enough. Have a bright and delightful Tuesday everyone.

5 Good Things

The first good thing is that my morning started with this:

• My Christmas Cactus doesn't grow and get BIG; but he sure makes beautiful blooms and often. The last one was at Christmas (as it should be) and I did not expect more bloom for a year. What a morning treat!
• The mountain wasn't out. I felt a slow, sad sigh erupting( And then, I had this, "well wait a minute!" thought. I KNOW the mountain is there. Yes, I know it. Faith. Even when I can't see, I know. How relaxing, relieving, comforting and affirming was that thought? I'm so grateful! I admit, the mountain is a pretty simple leap of faith; but we start with small things, eh? Perhaps when I have mastered small things, I can dance with bigger things. Faith. My word for the day.
• A lovely student here, a woman in my age group, stopped, noticed my embroidery and shared with me some of her thoughts and demonstrated an easy way to make one of the stitches I will work tonight. Very nice to have that friendly exchange.
• The clouds, as I drove down 45th Street were just dancing in the sky. I wanted to sing! But, at the moment, all I could think of for lyrics was something to do with corn being as high as an elephant's eye; and I didn't think that fitting for Seattle, but I had a good laugh.
• And, as usual, my morning inventory finds all of my loved ones safe and sure...and that's the best of all.

You Slept in that bed....

• 
  Am I the only grown up that does not make the bed (regularly, that is)? I thought of this because I was reflecting on my Weekend To-Do List. I didn't do very well on that list....sighs...but then again, I think of my To-Do List more of POTENTIAL. Good, huh? I like it. These are things I potentially would like to do - or at least not forget to do someday. I'm going to cross off the bird cage gig, not because I did it - but because I decided that I didn't want to do it. I did vacuum around their cages though! And, I didn't sew up the little coin purse, although I did get it all pinned together and ready to sew when I can borrow someone's machine since mine went belly-up. And, I didn't finish the Flower Child Dotte, the Dana Dottee or the apron. But then, there are tons of things which I did do which are not on the list - which are never on the list. It reminds me of an email piece that went round years ago....Dad says he's going to bed and he does; mom says she's going to bed and she does 10,000 things on her way to the bedroom. Things like; clean the toilet (I did not, but I meant to!), make the bed (I did) vacuum the floor (I did, I told you! otherwise I'd have been dancing on strewn birdfood all week), dust (yes, I did!) 10,000 which we do as naturally as we breath, and breathing wasn't on my To-Do List either. But maybe it should be? Breath, slow down, relax, forget the lists and do what you WISH to do...
  
  And I did. A little bit at least. I embroidered; or I tried to remember how to embroider and I discovered that I really enjoyed it. REALLY. Thoughtful(but not too), pretty, challenging (but not too). I suspect that I'll be doing a bit more. I'd like to offer up a special THANK YOU! to Janet at Primrose Design. She has embroidery tutorials there which make everything so clear. I've tried to embroider before and generally end up with a tangled mess. I understood Janet's instructions, and! (this is a very big deal), the back of what I've done so far looks neat; not at all the mess that I'm usually afraid for others to see.

In the meantime, my Weekend List morphs into my next week's list....the potential, what I wish to enjoy...not what I have to do. Yes...it's very gratifying to look at it that way...next week I wish to:

• Complete Flower Child and Dana Dotee
• Finish the apron embroidery and put it all together
• Finish at least one little coin purse, maybe a few more
  
  I'm looking forward to the week and I hope you are too.

Finished!

I declare - she's all done. I had such fun! I think she's a bit larger than a dotee doll should be...but I sure enjoyed this little project. I hope my swap partner likes her as much as I do.

She wears rubies, emeralds and topaz, and offers up to her sovreign, rubies, pearls and diamonds.

If you look very closely, you can see the many mistakes and a bit of "I'm learning to do this by the seat of my pants..." but even so, I think she's quite lovely. Now, she needs a name. Suggestions?

Quarters in my pocket

Hey - despite my terrible picture taking skills - can't you just tell that this is going to be a cute little purse? It's just tiny, for coins, maybe a lipstick. I love it more everytime I look at it.

So getting this little cutie sewn up was on my To-Do list yesterday. And, it's still not done. It might get done this weekend, along with....Tada....

Weekend To-Do List

• Finish up bejeweled - hairpieces
• Mail bejeweled She's not really quite mailed, but she's all packed to go, closer to the swap date
• Finish up flower child dotee and Dana Dotee and mail More on this next week!
• Embroider apron and sew together - Man, that's a lot more time consuming than it looked! But I am enjoying this and look forward to doing more on this project next week.
• Clean up bird cages! (now that they have food, they deserve clean!) Soon babies, I promise, this week!
• Laundry (UGH!) I couldn't avoid this one
• Water plants
• PCC for Smoothies ala Crazy Aunt Purl Blueberry Bliss
• Groceries - what have I been eating???
• Finish up the coin purse - It's not completely done, but I'm betting it will be Monday evening. It's soooo cute!

Doesn't seem like much, does it? I'm hoping to get out and about some too - I'd like to go to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop this weekend to pick up a chain for a necklace which my mother left to me. And, I'd like to take a walk. Yes, I'd really like to take a walk. How much do you think I'll feel like that after the dentist does the prep work for my crown this afternoon? I'm betting that I just read all weekend and get none of this stuff done! I'm working on Obama's book, The Audacity of Hope, The Knitting Club and starting Eckhart Tolle's Power of Now..

I hope you have a fabulous weekend. I'm saving 5 Good things for after the dentist - about when I'm going to need to be thinking of good things I think.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Hey: I love so many little ideas that I see on others' blogs (I really just wanted to do that plural possessive thing) and so, I'm going to steal them all and post them all in one place.

5 Good Things

• Everyone in my world is alive and well, most even happy this morning. Do you remember putting your hands on the back of sleeping babies to make sure they were still breathing? I no longer do that (well, it's different when it's a grown man!) but I do sort of take inventory each morning and breath a sigh and smile when each are accounted for.
• There's that special hazey light green color of the tree line dons in late spring. Is it not just the most magical color? In a few days, perhaps a week or so, that color will mature into a dark and grown up green. I love the full-blown summer green, but I so treasure that first bit of hazey green.
• I saw the mountain today. I see the mountain nearly every day...but today I really SAW the mountain - so I am grateful for both the mountain and my seeing - sometimes I am blind.
• Delightful polka dotted fabric, cut and ready to be sewn into quick and fun coin purse gifts. With that bright, yellow lining - I keep just looking behind me to spy.
• The certainty and clarity in my daughter's artwork. I'll post some when she gives me permission.
  

Today's To-Do List

• FAFSA!, (well, sort of, my part's done, the kidlet must do her part She did it! A miracle!
• Pick up bird food!
• Work on Dotee dolls I did this too! all sewn up, now the fun part of embellishing
• Sew up purses
• Transfer pattern to apron front Okay, I didn't do this until today, but it's done and now I can embroider, which I love doing!

Not too much of a to do list. All fun stuff - course, I didn't include work to-do....but both to-do lists might just as well be included in 5 good things....

A really good day here. I wish the same for you.

Bejeweled

She's not quite bejeweled yet - but she's on her way!

Finally! She posts something about the Library!

Wellness Wednesday

I feel a bit like I've been cheating on Wellness Wednesday posts. How many Wednesdays did I miss? Ummmmmm a few. But despite missing posts, Wellness Wednesday has been very meaningful to me.

I've been reading several books simultaneously - among them the much touted Tolle book and a few others, including ODAT materials (I'm leaving that a little coded on purpose) and I'm learing, or re-learning many things. The most important, at this moment is, "Be here Now." I think I'll never outgrow this phrase and I'm grateful to the Teacher, Ram Dass, for transmitting this simple code....Be here, right here...there's really no where else to be.

Tolle repeats this missive, and explains it in several different ways, and invites the reader into deeper places - sometimes I live in those places, sometimes I imagine them, and other times I remember that once I lived in those places. But after all is said and done, "Be here now" is all there is. Be in this moment, relish this moment, wallow in the PURPOSE of this moment.

And, what is the purpose of this moment? This is my favorite part of the Tolle book, though I'm sure there are more profound lessons......the purpose of this moment is .....

THIS MOMENT

(okay, I'm paraphrasing but that's my understanding of it.) If one is sewing, the purpose of the moment is to sew...NOT to complete a garment, or a quilt, a present, a task or a job - the purpose is to sew. How....how much of life's worries and tulmults disappear if you really wallow in the moment? (Or! be here now!) Think about this - FEEL this...(I have been!) If I accept this moment....such beauty burns into me, puts me on fire and somehow, I am less tired, I am more deeply at peace, I am ALIVE. One stitch...one stitch...is it perfect? Ummm it is a stitch, and now another....Yes, they are both perfect.

These things make me think of something I remember reading a million years ago (sok, I can be there old because only this moment matters and besides, wherever you go....there you are!)...by Alexander Solzenitzen. (yes, I really read it, my freshman year in High School.) Solzenitzen is speaking of the unspeakable torture and evil of the gulag. And so, the reader wonders, how does a human live through that??!?!?! And he answers with much the same answers above....be in the moment, each moment, taken by itself is manageable. Solzenitzen says that when aware of each moment there is incredible realization that everything which is needed is provided. Wow...that's stayed with me since High school; each moment, in the midst of what seems like unbearable pain (Tolle would say, I think, the ego percieves and nurtures the pain) is entirely livable. If Solzenitzen can live through the gulag, and forgive and love his captors - surely the small little details of my life can be accepted.

Which brings us back to Tolle...acceptance, he says, is tranformative. Be here now, accept that you are here now.... Accept. I wish I could put words to how just repeating the word makes me feel, "accept...accept." It has become sort of a mantra for me, and I repeat it constantly...."Accept." Accept and submit to the moment, for it too shall pass...such freedom.

So..what's this got to do with Wellness Wednesday? I've been working on it. I've been breathing into the moment, filling myself with NOW and accepting now - even the rotten Nows and I'm finding that in the middle of the rotten, wonderful, glorious and damnable nows, there is something constant....I think the Watcher, the Witness, the I AM...that part of me which just is, which is at peace, which embodies equanimity.

I haven't magically lost a bunch of weight, I have not escaped the chronic pain of fibromyalgia and my relationships are not perfect - but in the middle of all that imperfection, in each moment, in each now, it is absolutely perfect.

Why Blog (yeah, AGAIN!) Because I finally know the answer!

Why do I blog? I’ve asked this question before – and here it is again.....

To generate money? Well…money would be welcome of course, but that thought never entered my mind. Apparently it didn't quite enter the minds of other bloggers too and maybe it's not a bad idea...I might think about that - but it would take lots of thought, yes?

Because I’m a good writer? I can write a little I suppose, and I enjoy writing, and perhaps I’ll improve a bit when I imagine that others might actually be reading what is written here (isn’t that clever how I avoided saying, “What *I* write here?”)

In order to evangelize or teach something? Please.

To rise in my profession? HA! Now that one I like, and some days even wish for – but I have doubts that my little blog about knitting (or not) and making little dolls and holding my grandson is going to push me to the front of the powerful librarians click, you think?

To push books maybe? I scrolled back as far as I’ve written and not yet have I done a blogging book- talk…but I might! Not a bad idea actually….but just like every other librarian’s ditty, I’m sure the “out there” librarians have done those too. See the blog roll – there are those and a boatload full of other very worthy, informative and insightful blogs about librarians, libraries and books. Librarian’s are usually pretty groovy, creative, intelligent and witty folk – there are plenty of those to go round without me adding to the mix. (Besides I’m usually too busy knitting (or not) to stay on the cutting edge of library news.

Okay, okay…here’s the real reason that I blog…and I didn’t even know it myself…but yup, for sure, this is the reason:

See this?




This is a photo of my little kitchen pantry and that bag is full of ….umm….full of what? Well, go read all about it at Norma Knits, because she wrote the story for me and I laughed and laughed. Did she sneak in and snoop around in my pantry whilst I was out (knitting, of course)?

Then, there’s this…



this is only a fraction of my little collection – and it’s spread all across a continent, bottles, jars and pretties large and small which I’ve collected since I was oh, I think about 17. You can see a much prettier photo over blue glass over at GrannySu. This little photo made me smile, and reminded me of my collection - just how pretty are these? So simple, and I just love finding my little bottles! I don't even mind if they are "valuable" or "worth something." Just pretty and often, just pretty is the salve for what ails me.

On another blog site, a lovely woman has posted photos of the home she’s about to sell. Her home, turns out, is minutes away from Daughter #2 where I’ve not visited quite yet. So, browsing the photos of her property let me drift and slide away in my imagination to the countryside where Hannah wanders and sometimes finds flocks of feral Quaker Parrots. How cool was that for a moment or two? I had a little “journey” off to visit my daughter!

Those are just a few of today’s treasures. Today’s treasure reminds me that I’m not alone, that in all of our differences, we’re all pretty much the same. But, we’re also very much the same and radically different. There’s the creative, crafty librarian mom that I admire so much – she inspires me. She said “fuck” on her blog today (Sorry Norma, someone else’s turn) and I felt soooooooooooooooooo liberated. I wondered if my blog pal (who probably doesn’t even know how much I admire her!) has a parrot too and if she ever worries that the only word her parrot will ever learn will turn out to be “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.” I wonder if anyone else wonders that said parrot will utter its only learned word right when the priest has decided to call? I’d normally have said, and thought, “…when my mother comes to call.” But, my mother just left us for her next otherworldly adventure last Christmas, and someone else blogged about that to, though I’m sure they never met my mother. Or maybe they did.

Another New Thing

Well! Do I need to say anything more? Definitely, getting a photo of these two ladies was the more difficult portion of the project! These are my first attempts - it seems so very much that I do these days is a first attempt. Not quite what I thought life would be at this age - but so much fun! The faces aren't quite right, I know - I will get better and I sure hope that my swap partner is understanding and more interested in the fun that I had than in perfection. I thought the piercings onthe eyebrows were way oversized but Mr Darling said, "Nope, when you see folks with eyebrow piercing, that's ALL you can look at when you face them!" So, I suppose oversized is fitting, eh?

Now...here's the real substance of the post. I recall sometime, in the I'm sure not too distant past, when I believed that needle threaders were for yoyos. Well wind me up and walk the dog because now I believe that the needle threader is your friend! And should I mention that getting the needle threader through the eye of the needle was not all that much less difficult than getting the thread through the needle? I suppose this answers my internal query about joining up for the Midlife Bloggers group - I have this feeling that I am really a bit past midlife, yes?

Still, making these little dollies was great fun and I felt so childish and I can't wait to make up a few more and get lots better at it. Despite all their imperfections, they look lovely hanging above my desk and I'm not sure I'll really want to swap them! One I shall give to Kael's mother, who sometimes seems to be past her Goth stage. When I told her the plan to create these dolls she only laughed. Somehow it made us closer and turned a difficult past time into a lovely memory; and it mysteriously brought in a little bit of tenderness and affection. I wonder if my mother would have liked to make a little hippie girl doll and if that might have helped her appreciate and understand me a little bit more? I like to think so.