Happy Halloween

Karl and I got into the spirit last night for the next door neighbor's party. It was fun to see all the little & big kid costumes. Not many recognized my character (Frida) but crazy gypsy lady worked. Tonight has been quiet as just about the whole neighborhood was out last night for the fun. We're definitely "the old folks" as most houses have sold to younger families in the last few years. Maybe they'll have friends who will want our house when the time comes (in the not too distant future I hope).

The weather was beautiful today so I took advantage and got some dyeing done and hung out to dry. I'm trying to work steadily for the sale with Ashley in Dec. It's hard to believe that Oct. is gone.

We've had the wettest Oct. on record according to the weatherman this evening and 14+ inches of rain for Sept. and Oct. That after a horribly hot summer. I'm definitely ready for sunshine and cool temps that are promised for the week ahead.

One good thing about all the rain is that we get a bit of late season color before every thing goes brown and bare. I spotted this thistle early yesterday and on closer inspection the bee seemed someone stymied by the cold as he didn't immediately fly away.

Old Friends and New Adventures

The first image above is a 32,000 piece "Friendship Quilt" from Pittsburg at the Houston Quilt Show. I hope I don't get in trouble for showing it (copyrights and all). We were in Houston last weekend for 2 funerals and I had a few minutes to go to the show and market on Sat. This installation gave me pause to think of the importance of friends and relations. Would we behave better if we all put our name on squares of fabric and joined them with our neighbors to decorate our world? It seems that it's worth a try.

I was able to do the VERY fast run through thanks to my friend Heidi Pridemore. She is a fabulous designer and has a new book coming out soon. I am very proud to be her friend and appreciate her generous spirit and our shared memories of the lady who introduced us, Mary Kortemeyer. We both feel a debt of gratitude to Mary for the impact she had on our lives.

Monday Lu and Michelle braved the rain to come over and sit and sew. It was a treat I very much needed; aren't friends great? Monday evening Karl, Ashley, Frank and I got to see our long time friends, April & Ronnie Baxter. April is living her dream as a horse woman and it was fun watching her compete with her horse Tia at the National Andalucian show in Ft. Worth. The last few years we've only seen them once a year as they are Texans who live in Kentucky now. We hope to get together more often in 2010. We're heading out on new adventures a bit ahead of schedule as an opportunity presented its self and we jumped onto the rv bandwagon. This is something Karl has talked about for a long time and I'm along for the ride.

We left home on Thurs. for the maiden voyage in the new (to us) RV. First we went to Midland. I thought we were heading further west but plans changed as they so often do. Last night and tonight we're in Austin. It's an ongoing project for me to be more flexible. My disappointment is tempered by time with Karlie and seeing Elle, our beautiful little niece from Mexico City.

Finally, Happy Anniversary to Ashley & Frank. If you look at her blog you can see some of mine and her creations from 2004. Her wedding dress was one of my finest creations and it was a beautiful and happy day. The sun has come out and I'm hoping for a good weekend.

It's About Time

I am fortunate to have a wonderful group of fiber art friends who I meet with once a month. For me this has been an incredible growth experience since we started last year. That's not to mention the laughs, nurturing and fantastic food. It is always a highlight of my month.

Back in the summer someone (I plead the 5th) suggested that we do a book round robin and after lots of discussion and laying out of guidelines, we're off and running. Actually, everyone else got a head start on me as I missed the first pass along date while I was down in Austin in my Grammy roll. Now I am catching up.

My book is in a box , portfolio style, as an homage to the earliest books. My page pictured above has scraps of threads to represent fragments of memories and rusty metal as a reminder of the effect of nature on what man has created. The cloud photo was made at Desert View Tower on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I can't imagine how any one could be in that place and not feel a sense of awe while pondering time beyond human understanding.

My title "It's About Time" comes from a phrase I often say to myself as a sort of admonishment or Ah ha - as in "you finally get it". I am at a point in life where I have many more ideas than I will ever have time to create. I am thankful for that - heaven forbid running out of ideas. I remind myself daily to use my time wisely. The reminders don't always work but I keep trying and my goal is that of Erma Bombeck to say in the end, "I used up every thing you gave me".

Time can have many different meanings for different people and I look forward to seeing each interpretation when this book comes back to me in early 2010. It will be fun & exciting to see what everyone does with each theme. I know this group will use the time well.

On a different note, we learned last night of the unexpected passing of a family member. He was a father, grandfather, uncle and friend. In an instant a life ends. Everyone left behind is changed.

Make every minute count.

the girl effect

I just became a facebook fan of the girl effect. It's a tiny step but I encourage everyone to join this effort to fight poverty and injustice around the world.

I am a daughter; I have a daughter; now I have a grand daughter. We are among the rich of the world. Now each of us can lend a helping hand. Please join me and tell your friends too.

Anniversary

I posted a flower image on Oct. 4, 2008, as I started this blog. Here is another on my one year blogiversary as my fascination and love of flowers continues to grow. This is post #76. I still have much to learn about the process and world of blogs but I have very much enjoyed the experience and hope to keep it going, growing and improving. Thank you for reading and sharing your comments, encouragement and friendships.

I set out to blog about my art. While I've done some of that, I've also spent a good bit of time talking about family and life. It is pretty nearly impossible for me to seperate the 3. I hope that hasn't discouraged readers and possibly encouraged some to fit art into their busy lives, "if she can do it so can I".

It isn't lost on me that I have a strong tendency to wander as I tell stories; I've long been teased for that evidence of ADD. Is it an excuse to say I do it most about things that excite me? I've found that blogging has caused me to look for things that create excitement. In turn some of these things have become part of my art.

It has been an exciting year so the subjects of my posts have been varied. Obviously becoming a grandmother was #1 on the excitement list. Getting my art work into shows again (after many years of avoiding the process); working collaboratively with others; and shairng the highs and lows of family time are all on the list.

I have absolutely NO regrets for focusing on Karlie. I feel so blessed that she is in my life. She is amazing. She is teaching me new things every day. She renews my faith in the future and gives me hope. As she begins to visually focus and take in her new world my appreciation for the gifts and wonders of nature are renewed as is my excited anticipation at sharing them with her.

FOCUS will continue to be a constant challenge for me. I am making it my mantra for the year ahead. There will still be variety here; I won't be myopic but rather I will work on patiently taking in each experience, possibility and blessing as it presents itself. Hopefully I will be able to express all this in my art and share it in this blog. I am wishing for rampant creativity for everyone along with peace and love.