A Break

I am going to take a little blog break for a while. I'll be back when I am back.

SLow poke

I have not been feeling the blog love lately and my posting has been not so regular. Many things in my life are changing in my life, though none of those includes where I live, but I am having a time getting a new routine down. I am only working 3.5 days a week, but it really kicks my butt. I work Sun, Mon, Tues from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Fridays from 6a.m to 10 a.m. So it is not a hard schedule, and I am home in the afternoons. I like it. But it is seriously different than I have done for the last 10.5 years and I am adjusting. And I am convinced that I am going to sell my hous eint eh next couple of months, even though it is not currently listed anywhere for sale. So I need to get iot back into shape for selling. I have too much crap.

I am taking my freind Lisa for her chemo on Thursdays, and I can't tell you how it pleases me to be able to do that for her. SHe is exceptionally independent and it is hard for her to take help. So I am pleased to be able to take her. SHe has been driving herself the first 25 miles, and them my big sister takes her to rest of the way, another 60 miles or so. Sh just was able to get itmoved closer to home, so it is only 25 miles each way, but she shouln't drive it herself. Until this week, it was on a day I worked, but she had a little infection, and had to change her day, so I can now take her. She has no familial help, and no baby daddys to pick up an of the responsibility of caring for her 3 boys. ANd, she has breast cancer and can only work one day a week, so she has no money. But for now, she is sort of managing. I feel blessed to be in a position to drive her.

A new Thing

I learned a new thing. I love to learn new crafty things, and this one is really fun. Though, honestly, I think that there is a limited amount of places to apply this new thing. It is punch needle embroidery. Think of rug hooking. This is similar in that it makes loops on the top side, but it is made by poking a needle with thread through the back to make the loops and it is much slower and smaller that rug hooking. But, it is so much fun. I like to make my own patterns, because then I feel ok if I decide to sell them. I am going to go to a rug hooker's retreat in October with my sister who is a hooker, and apparently, punchneedle is an acceptable thing for me to do there. SO that is what I am planning to do, along with some wool applique, which I also love to do.

I will share pictures of my makings in a few days.

This Day

It is Tuesday, September 11. Six years ago today, our world and world view changed. I won't say it has changed my life in a tangible manner, as I live out in the boonies and no bomb is going to be aimed in my space. It has made me worry that we have not learned from it. It worries me that Bush, in his attention deficit way, gave up on searching for Bin Laden before he even really started. I worry that people forget the people who died, and no longer really care. And it makes me sad.

I think that probably not a day goes by that I don't think of 9/11 at some point in my day. I don't dwell on it, or worry about it, but I do thinking of it often and just remember. Right after it, Oprah had some survivors on it and then a year later, and there was a woman named Debbie or Debra, that literally could not function. She was in one of the towers and she barely escaped, with little injuries, thankfully, but she was so traumatized by it, she could not function on a day to day basis. I hope when the money was being doled out the the families of the dead, that someone was also thinking of those that lived and that they were also given financial assistance. Yes, they lived, but at what emotional cost. And I worry that on top of the memories and survivor's guilt and terror, they also have to suffer financially.

And so, on this day in our history, I try to remember the love and grief and sense of community and connectedness and everything else that happened in the near aftermath of that, and not see the horrid divisiveness, and meanness that has overtaken us and made the world hate us.

September

I am blessed to live in the land of beautiful Septembers. No matter if we have had a bad weather summer or not, September is always nice. We wake up the day after Labor day and it is Fall. Crisp air, sunshine that is lovely and warm and not too hot. All the tourists are gone, and we have a month of lovely quiet and calm, and summer remnants. I am a sort of love the one you're with kind of girl and each season is my favorite at the time it is here. Winter not so much, but all 3 of the others I love the best as they come. Spring, I love the promise of warmth and longer days. Summer I love the promise of flowers and gardens and ice cream. And fall I love the coming crisp air and chilliness and coming of soup season. There is a tree in front of my store- er, the store formerly known as mine, that, come fall, just glows. It is a brilliant light yellowy gold and about every other year, I would swear it makes it's own light, it is so brilliant. The other years it is just pretty, but when it is amazing, oh!

As much as I have come to dislike the winters here, the first snow is always a beautiful thing. If it is a big snow, more than a couple of inches, it creates a lovely glow and a hush over everything and everyone acts a little different. We are all filled with a little bit of wonder. I don't mind the snow. But we tend to get non-stop gray and drizzle, and dark. SO the snow is a joy. People act differently and get all happy and helpy to each other.

I cannot lie. I would way rather be in my new town this winter, but if I am not, it will be ok, because I won't be at my store, either. My time will come and I will welcome it when it does. So, until then, I will be here, in the town I have been in for 17 years, where I know everyone and I will be fine.

Done

I am done. I am no longer the liquor lady, the diva of drink, the wine wonk. I am done. ANd I am now having a 4 day weekend from my other job. I only work 3 days a week there, for now. It will get more of my time in October and November, when the seasons change. But for now,3 day workweeks. And since I have been working 6 and 7 days this summer, let me just say- love it!!
I am sure come paycheck time, I will sing a different tune, but yea, whatever.

And we woke up the day after Labor day to rain. We have interesting seasons around here. Summer doens't really start, weather wise, till July 5, and Fall starts the day after Labor day. Seriously. Like clock work.

I have stockpile of things to do for the next few months, till I can sell the house. Lots of upholstery work. I bought a huge amount of polymer caly and all that goes with the, froma gilrfriend, because I saw some work by Laurie Mika, and it is luminous.

Enjoy.

3 days

I have 3 days of working at my store left before I am done. I work Weds, Thurs, and Fri of this week and then, all done. I am so thrilled to be done, yet also so scared of what is coming next. I am still trying to sell my house, and the listing ends on Friday, also, so it will be off the market for a little while. Then I may attempt to sell it on my own, and see what happens. I will lower the price significantly, and see what that brings. If it still doesn't sell, I will relist in the Spring. I need a house for sale break. It has been listed almost a year.

I have been gathering in anticipation of my new to come leisure time. I will only be working 4 days a week, instead of 6 or 7, and will have some time to craft. I recently got a book from the library called Mixed Media Mosaics, by a woman whole last name is Mika. She does the most wonderful things with polymer clay, so I am going to try some. A girlfriend decided she was getting out of polymer clay, and sold me 3 boxes of clay, canes, tools and everything I could possibly need to play. And I mean packing size boxes. BIG boxes.

I have purchased enough fabric to recover the entire county's chairs. I have projects. Now I just have to make some room so I can do some of them, and finish something.