Observations on life & art and the inspirations I see around me

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Balancing Act

Today was a crazy mix of hits & misses but we balanced it out with a bit of fun time with our favorite ballerina. Tomorrow it's back to work. Hope everyone is staying cool. Praying for the fire victims in Colorado.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

What's On My Mind......

From this.....
To this.... a place for a swing to enjoy the view
Wild Persimmons - planning ahead for jam & treats in the fall
Rocks moved along the drive. Thank goodness for the tractor!
Aging. Getting Old & deciding to do it the best way possible. The last time we built a house we were 25 years younger and a whole lot fitter. This will be one of those "what doesn't kill you....." experiences. We've been working really hard but it feels good. Today we had some time off due to rain.

After some "getting settled" errands we went to visit my 93 year old aunt this afternoon. She has always been the most like my Dad so I always loved her a bit extra. Now she's the only one of 4 siblings left and she is fighting with all her might not to move to assisted living. Her memory is going but she knows what is inevitable. I feel for her and her daughter who is making decisions for what is best. You can know what is right and good but it's still NOT easy. Most of us want to make our own decisions for as long as possible & I hope we have lots of time to be strong & independent and maybe a bit contrary.

As this subject has been on my mind lately, I am reading Jane Fonda's newest book. She calls the years from 60 on "Act III". It has some good advise and I'm working on being more intentional every day to deal with the hand I've been given. On a lighter note, I got Karl to go with me on Sat. to see "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". It is cute with some funny bits & I think Judith Dench can make any thing look pretty darn good. The message is Clear I think. Don't wait; act now; and seize life with both arms. Keep on keeping on I hope to do it well.

A friend said this morning that the Summer Solstice is about throwing out what no longer serves us (ideas, hinderances, pain) and starting with the new (hopes, intentions, creations). Today's pictures are about what we're creating for our new future.









Saturday, June 9, 2012

A New Chapter Begins

It's been a month since I've blogged; I apologize if you wondered where I'd disappeared to. I was probably on the road or buried in boxes as we packed and shuttled the last of our belongings from Argyle to Wimberley.

I think I counted 6 trips back & forth last month, in the neighborhood of 54 hours in the truck plus the last drive following the truck & trailer in the car. Maybe we should have moved more often and gotten rid of more "stuff".
We closed & vacated Monday and stayed the night with Ashley & Frank. They made a delicious berry cobbler. I'm not sure if it was celebratory or not. Ashley & I are both having sad about the new distance between us. She wrote a moving post the other day about her feelings on our move. We closed Tues. morning; saw friends for lunch and then drove south in the afternoon. We're in the rv at a park near the Guadalupe river at Sattler. It's about 10 miles from the property. I look forward to floating the river some weekday when it's not so crowded.

In the meantime there's still sorting to do between the warehouse & here; getting house drawings finished and to the draftsman; and clearing on the property to site the house. Karl got in some quality but very HOT tracktor time in today. It's going to be a big job for him in the heat. Some time soon we will figure out how to set up my sewing machine in the rv. In the meantime I am doing some hand stitching & have found it to be a balm for my nerves as there were numerous snafus this week.  


Last month in the DAFA annual show I won the prize for Best Use of Beads with this piece, Small Delites. The prize is a gift card to Artful Bead which I misplaced during packing but luckily found. I will use it when I visit up north later in the month. 

Lu Peters & I also won Best Art Quilt with our 3rd collabroative piece, Roots & Routes. The prize was a gift card at Quilt Country  and we used it for fabric & supplies for #'s 4 & 5 which are in the early stages. It's great that these businesses support local fiber arts & I certainly appreciate their generousity.

At our May gathering the Wonders gifted me with treasures, trinkets, tokens, and bits to use during my "confinement" in the rv in work similar to Delites. I am honored by their generousity and plan to rise to meet their expectations. I am inspired by Gerrie Congdon's 3" a day pieces; I doubt I'll be that disciplined but will shoot for regular productivity.

Aside from friends & family (including 4 legged variety) I will miss my garden. The Daylillies were a gift from a Houston friend in 1987. I've shared them with many over the years and they remind me of steadfastness & make me smile at their simplicity. The new owner said I can come back in the winter to get bulbs. The Agave I saw on the road today. I had to stop and take a pic as it made me think of reaching for new goals.