april...

Happy April, my friends.

A short hello today as I'm completely distracted by Senator Bookers filibuster.

I hope that you are all having a great day.  We're moving from the 60's for highs today to 85+ for the rest of this week.  Crazy stuff.

Well, I'll be back tomorrow with a more interesting (I hope) and longer post. 

love & blessings

~*~

unintentionally sporadic care...

i - this week has been crap...

ii - the cold is coming so the plants have been brought in.  i'm trying some in new places, hoping they will survive my unintentionally sporadic care...

iii - i swear yesterday was monday.  really...i don't know where the last four days went...

iv - therapy this week and it was spent not talking about what i'd gone in thinking i wanted to talk about, but about how small the world is (turns out my therapist was a part of a community i used to be a part of and we know a lot of the same people)...

v - it is THAT time of year again.  the time when nearly every show and commercial and radio station and all of the world is in the "its the most wonderful time of the year", and i'm in 'i f*king hate being alone and just want the world to shut up because it all makes me cry'...

vi - i'm pondering next year's plans.  2021 was the year of art and i have spent it participating in a couple of year long art groups (and i've enjoyed it very much, despite feeling constantly behind).  several months ago i was hit with my word for 2022 - create.  

    when it came to me, i realized that while i have done a lot of art this year, it's always someone else's art.  so for 2022, i want to create my own.  and not just painting/mixed media, but creating everything.  i want to play with clay, metal, wood, baking, cooking, just...create. 

vii - due to my create plan, i'm having trouble deciding if i should re-up for some of the year long art groups.  i've settled my mind on one of them, but the big one i'm just not sure about yet...decisions, decisions...

viii - my numbers have been high, and i can't seem to get a handle on them.  does insulin stop working?  i swear i always feel like i'm playing russian roulette when i eat/bolus. diabetes fatigue is so very real, y'all...

ix - i'm itching to hit the road. i want the ocean and/or the mountains. but...

x - i agreed to fix the turkey meal again this year and i also took on xmas.  however...the turkey plans changed as an attendee to the meal has been to 3 football games in the past week and will attend another one the day before coming to my house.  my plague anxiety is such that i've gone back to last years turkey meal plan (i'll prepare togo dishes for them to take away). we'll have to see what happens for xmas.

well...that's it for now. i hope you're all hanging in there...

thanks for reading...

~*~

 

half dead, half hollow...

this hasn't been a good week for me. the migraorbs have been running rampant through my brain.

i've spent the week in bed with just a very few outings...

the only art i've done this week is the two sketches above.

the second sketch i drew waiting in my doc's office for an appointment. i'm calling it half dead half hollow.  it's pretty much how i've been feeling.

but...there is a little bit of hope coming through. i've been able to get several errands run today.  and it looks like there may be a trip coming up soon, so something to look forward to...

speaking of something to look forward to

 

the lovely Vanessa is hosting a mad tea party this year.  i'm planning to join in so i hope to see you there (and here) next weekend.

well...time to go put out the mail for pickup tomorrow and clean off my bed so i can try to sleep.

thanks for reading...

~*~

 

easing back...

I spent a lot of spring outdoors.  I re-did my garden, or rather created a new garden.  Every time I am outside, the sky seems to call to me.  I can't step out the door without looking up.  Not to mention just sitting in my chair on the patio or taking a quilt or towel out and lying in the grass watching the sky.

The past two mornings have been glorious here.  The southeast is a place of heat and humidity in June, where breathing outside almost feels like trying to breathe with your face in a bowl of chunky soup.

It was 66 degree F yesterday morning with 68% humidity.  Today it was 57F with 60% humidity.  I took advantage and went for walks both days.

It felt so good.  Moving my body around and breathing the fresh air that almost felt like autumn.  I know the heat will return soon, but it sure was nice to enjoy.

Anyhoo...I'm slowly easing my way back in here.  (And thank you for your encouraging comments!)

I have lots to share, so hopefully I'll be back soon.  

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~
 

 

a 10...

 i was looking for a photo for today's post and noticed that i take a lot of pictures of skies, clouds and trees.  well...they are some of my favorite things, so that makes a sort of sense.

i tried to do my tiny portion of holiday shopping this morning but it was a bust.  by the time i arrived home my headache level had hit 10.  so i've taken a pill and tried to rest a bit. 

so far, no relief.

i'll give it another hour, then take a second dose if i need to.

we're supposed to get rain the next two days, so i stocked up a few things to make chilli and turkey pot pie.  

well...the pain is taking the forefront, so i'll sign off now.

do you have a favorite winter comfort food?

thanks for reading...

love, kisses & magical wishes...

~*~

 

september...

 

i love september...

i love the turn in the air that brings cooler weather. i love the shorter days. i love the scent of the air.

i love pumpkins...

here in my part of the south, september is part summer/part autumn and really the best mix of both.

today i'm trying to decide if i want to bring out the halloween decor.  i'm mostly a stick to the month decorator when it comes to holidays.  for example, i decorate for autum (normally) starting september 1st, bring out halloween on oct 1st and go back to just autumn nov 1st.  winter decor comes out dec 1st with yule/santa stuff going back in storage a few days after the 25th.

this year feels different.

i started putting autumn decor out on aug 1st. maybe i'll wait a few days then hunt up the halloween stuff.

i just realized i've not been to the farmer's market at all this year.  that is very depressing.  i'm going to try to go tomorrow or friday.  i'd love some fresh local corn, and apples...oh and PUMPKINS!!!  

the photo above is actually from september 2015.  i don't really have one autumnal from this year, yet.

well, that's all for my ramblings today.  do you have a schedule for your holiday/seasonal decorating?  are you ready for autumn, or are you a spring/summer person?

thanks for stopping by for a read...

love & blessings

~*~

ps...i appreciate the comments and suggestions from my last post.  i know that therapy doesn't wholly work without all the information...so yes, i know i didn't help myself during those therapies... thanks again  xoxo

miscellany...

It's a twinkle and candle light, blanket, sweater, hot tea and knitting kind of night.  Really it's been that kind of day.  Yesterday morning my throat started burning and by 9 I was in bed coughing and struggling to breathe.  This morning, full on cold.  Ugh...

So it's been lots of hot tea with lemon, some Sambucol and even my mom's "remedy" teaspoon of sugar with Jack Daniels.  (That was what my pediatrician prescribed when I was a little girl and had the croup.  I had the croup a lot.)

Anywhoo...

Yesterday was supposed to be a finish cleaning the kitchen from turkey day meal, de-bone turkey and make stock for next year kind of day.  But I became distracted.  Very distracted.  

I ended up rearranging half of my studio space.  Every time I went in there to do something I'd start panicking and feeling supremely claustrophobic. (3rd photo from the top) So, I moved some stuff around. (next photo) I'm not sure how long this will last and I may end up moving everything in the room next time.

I had stuff everywhere.  I moved most of the supplies I keep on my table into the living room and put them on the hearth.  It was covered.  More stuff ended up in piles in the living room or the other half of the studio.  I'm still sorting and trying to organize, but I feel better when I walk in there now.

Many years ago, when I was still working, I collected plants and had a house full.  Even my office desk was more than half covered in plants.  After I had to leave work, I was so sick most all of them died from neglect.  I've been trying to renew my green thumb for a few years now.  Sometimes I do well, others...not so much.  But, I'm trying.  I added a cyclamen this week and bought an amaryllis.  I haven't potted the amaryllis yet, but plan to this week.  I have paper-whites from a kit I bought this time last year and never potted.  They are looking pretty good.  My Christmas cactus is blooming (the dark pink).  I've had that plant for maybe 6 or 7 years.  My flower friend at the local farmers market had some gorgeous cacti and I just had to have one. (the light pink flowers).  

So, that's basically it for today.  I know I'm rambling a bit.  I'm trying to get back into the habit of being here.  Hopefully I'll have some more entertaining and insightful commentary soon.  Ha ha ha!

What's your best way to treat a cold?  Did you grow up with an unconventional remedy?

I'm heading back to the knitting now.  My team has a late basketball game and I'm hoping to keep myself awake for it. :-)

thanks for stopping by for a read!
love & blessings
~*~

ps...I really appreciate your comments.  I'm trying to figure the best way to reply but I'm having some issues with it.  Please don't think I'm not reading them, I am and they mean the world to me.  xoxo

 

November...

Hello November...

It is weird to say, but I'm glad Halloween is over.  I think I jumped the gun a bit this year and overdid my indulgence.  Normally, I decorate for Halloween on October 1st.  This year, I started in the middle of September.  And now...

I'm just ready for pumpkins, fires, candlelight, cozy blankets and autumnal rest.  I am ready to put away the skulls, jack-o-lanterns, spiderwebs and creepy/scary stuff.  I usually leave Halloween decorations up until November 3rd, but I've already started taking things down and I've only been awake for a couple of hours.

I had to search my photo archives to give you the image above. (I'm still trying to find that gash darn connector for my camera so I can download the loads of pictures.  I even tried just removing the data card but I don't have a slot on my computer that it fits. Time for a new camera?) It is from 2009, a pot of pansies I had at my front porch at the old cottage.  Gosh, sometimes I really, REALLY miss that little old house. 

I can't seem to settle in here at the newest townhouse.  I'm not sure why.  I've been here for almost six months and still don't feel home.  Do you know what I mean?  I haven't figured out what to do about that, yet...

Thanks to all those who visited and commented this past weekend for Magaly's October Heart-Bits.  Just as last year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the wonderfully kind comments you all left me.  Storytelling is something I've always loved.  I constantly seem to have stories running through my head, some I've written out, but most just play out in my brain until it is time to let them go.  Even though they seem fabulous in my head, when I start putting them down on paper (or computer screen), they seem to get warped.  There has always been a slight disconnect between what's in my head and what comes out and that has made writing (something I've always wanted to do) difficult.  

So when I do these little challenges and the work is well received, I get goosebumps and little zings of joy spin through my body.  So, again, thank you!

Well, I suppose I'll run along.  These decorations aren't going to put themselves away. 

thanks for stopping by!
love & blessings
~*~