Time & Space

Today I made time and space to do a Soul Card reading for a client. I made time and space for a client who stopped by to pick up some herbs. I made time and space to meditate, exercise and enjoy the sweet-n-simple pleasures of Home. 

I made time and space to pick up the rental car that will serve as my chariot for a mom-visit. Her birthday is Friday and the weather looks agreeable for travel to the great white north of NY state. So, kind reader, I will have limited internet access over the coming week ... so not much-if any at all-blogging ... but I will have lots to work on, including drawing-drawing-drawing, as well as lots of mom-love-n-care-n-stuff.

Ciao!

... Hard to Say ...

What did I make today?

That's a good question.

It's hard to say.

I invested the better part of my morning procrastinating. I prepared some herbals for a client and then headed south for birthday cake and coffee to celebrate my mother-in-law's 80th birthday. Today is her special day and it was a most enjoyable afternoon, listening to her and two of her sisters recall their memories growing up in West Torrington. 

That's pretty much it. So I guess I better go eat some supper and get busy making something!

Peace.

Notice

For several years I've noticed a surge of foul cursing during the first quarter of the calender year (as mildly exhibited in yesterday's blog entry). Today, I made notice of the pattern and realized the connections. It was a true "duh! moment."

Today I completed what I hatefully call phase two of 1st quarter tax prep. With both me and The Boy being self-employed, all the hoops and foolish tracking and reporting that the government requires can really get to ya, especially in this season, when quarterly and annual efforts overlap. In any event progress was made, and I can now focus on pulling together all the foolishness that our CPA needs to work her magic so we may file the annual income tax. Even a little piece of that was tackled today. So all-in-all I feel pretty good about these hateful things. And I even now know why the cursing flares. I figure I'll just be creative with it and enjoy it - the foul language that is!

And I'll do my best to keep it out of this blog.

On a happier note, I finished the dish rags that I made with cotton yarn that I found in perfectly fitting colors for my "new" kitchen. 

Ann Wilkinson left a comment the other day asking for a close-up of the clock face that my mom embroidered, so here it is:

It really is charming, isn't it?

And last year I was contacted by an Online Community Specialist in Switzerland about using one of the images I shared on connect@earth.org for the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona. It was a photo of balls of plarn that I had made. Needless to say I consented with delight. I was promised a copy of the poster ... and I received two copies of it yesterday:

How freakin' cool is that? 

And today I received a copy of Artful Blogging and I'm gonna grab a cold home brew and page through this stunning magazine now. Ciao!

Peace.

Laughter

Today the elements came to me, lovers that they are ... and they spoke to me ... they whispered in my ear ... and I shushed them ... and handed my better judgment over. Jackass. Don't get me wrong, there are times when surrendering to powers outsides of our own ARE gestures of value, gestures that yield outcomes of value. Today, however, was NOT one of those days. Or was it?

I handed my Knowing, my Better Judgement over to a clan that has demonstrated time-and-again, over years uncountable, a consistent pattern of indecisiveness that ... while benign in (or void of) intention, frustrates me to utter distractedness ... and all too often steers head-on into foolish chaos. 

And so it was today. A party was planned for my sweet mother-in-law-and-wonderful-friend to celebrate her 80th birthday. A winter storm was both predicted and showing signs of reality. The Boy called JUST BEFORE we were thinking of heading out, just to confirm plans. The party was ON. I looked outside and thought to myself, "Fuck That." But he figured that the weather must be more agreeable down the hill and south ... and why not? We often realize weather here on the hill that those a half-mile down the hill are oblivious too. So we headed out.

Jackasses.

Two hours later we were WALKING home, up the super-slippery hill, vehicle abandoned at the boat dock. 

The lesson? Well, there are unarguably more than a couple wrapped in the adventures of the day. One of them being: Don't shush The Lovers. And another:

And the party was cancelled. Apparently only moments after our confirmation call. Jackasses.

And I say that with love ... mostly ...

A Wonderfully Awful Decision

Today I hung a clock in my kitchen that is a drastic mismatch to the new colors of the little room. It is such a contrast that it works perfectly. Oddly enough the gold plays off that bamboo-base to the floor, as well as the warm colors in the wood countertop, plus there are purple grapes embroidered into the face as well as a few shades of green.

But what compelled me to hang it here is not only is it a clock I recall from my pre-teen-kitchen memories, but it is an extremely rare collaborative effort of my mother and daddy - he made the clock and she appliqued and embroidered the face.

Now ... back to my crocheting ...

Thirty-four Years of Memory

Thirty-four years ago my Daddy passed from this life. It hardly seems possible that that much time has lapsed. Ergo my suspicions of so-called linear time. It hardly seems possible that my own sweet spouse is one year away from the age he was when he moved on. It hardly seems possible that I'm not much farther behind.

I still miss you Daddy. So, so much. I miss your calm-coolness and quiet way of working through the challenges of life. I miss the scent of your Amphora Red pipe tobacco (imagine that). I miss your voice quoting lines from Shakespeare. I miss you reciting The Cremation of Sam McGee. I miss catching you acting out and singing along with your opera records. I miss sharing wood-working time with you in your workshop. I miss mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, and sipping the occasional cola with you. I miss meeting you at the pool and "racing" you home - you in your Buick, me on my Schwinn. I miss shopping with you for the perfect gift for Rita, both of us silently knowing that it would be returned or exchanged for some reason or another. I even miss those (loathsome) family vacations we would take. I miss all these things, and more. I miss the brilliant snippets of life wisdom that you would share with me - even if I didn't get them in the moment. 

I miss you holding me and sharing your perfect love. 

Thank you Daddy ... for all this ... and so much more.

Tea, Connections, Healing Starts

Today I enjoyed several cups of this year's Winter Brew, a blend of cardamom seed, cinnamon bark, fennel seed and cloves. I made time to catch up on several loose ends, including over-due phone calls and straggling eCommunications. I had the sweet opportunity to engage in healing work and play with three folks - and that always feels good.

So now, as the day winds down for me, I invite you to join me ... make yourself a nice hot cup of tea, whatever you fancy, and sip it slowly ... savoring flavor, aroma, warmth and steam ... savoring love.

Ashe. Peace.

Dum Roll Please ...

The Research Randomizer chose number 41 as our give-away whimsy winner ... 

and so the winner is ... 

Cora of Ophelia Miller Boutique! 

Congratulations Cora!!! You'll be receiving both the red and pink Spirited Book Markers. Yay!!!

So everyone - thanks a bunch for playing - now go leave Cora some love and maybe a book recommendation or two! Peace.