A Contemplative Life

The state of my work table, and all the totes I someday need to deal with, as I told my daughter this weekend I would attempt to use all my fabric before, well.... I'm back after a lovely weekend spent with family in the San Francisco Bay Area. Events were celebrated, the weather was marvelous, in that it wasn't hot, ha ha. And of course hanging out with beloveds is PHENOMENAL, also altering, in that my granddaughters aren't tiny, my own daughter not a girl, and my son-in-law the master of half-caff almond milk lattes, among his other genial attributes. I am blessed for such a grand collection of humans in my realm, and while we all wish to live closer to another, we're in the same state, and we get together as often as possible. Driving home yesterday, I breathed deeply after crossing the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, because in achieving that feat without any traffic incidents meant I was halfway home, though not halfway in actual distance. Still many miles to go, some ...

And...two weeks of caffeine-free living! As well as a week since I last blogged, lol. Hosting grandkids will do that to a person. But the lads are home and I've had a good night's sleep, and now it's time to jump back into my other life, that of an author who quilts and keeps chickens.... But before I get into that, let me say that not imbibing in caffeine has been an overall good experience, albeit not truly alleviating my tinnitus as much as I would hope. But I'm not exhausted at night, nor do I need a lift mid-morning. I'll continue to avoid caffeine as long as I feel the need.  So, grandsons visiting: Our eldest chap made scones with Grandpa, while I taught the younger grandson how to use my sewing machine! Both boys enjoyed the chickens, as well as trekking around, and I played a lot of card games and did plenteous art. My youngest grandson can read EVERYTHING, that was marvelous, while the elder received a calculus lesson from Grandpa, lol. I didn't do any...

  Miss Broody Hen 2026....   What's been going on lately as I returned home from Silicon Valley.... So much to say, but only forty-six minutes to write before I check on Broody Hen. One of the Barnevelder Triplets has decided to go mildly broody; she doesn't try to bite, though she does growl if approached in her nesting box. She has plucked many feathers, but not down to her actual skin. And when removed from her box, placed in the Broody Hen Condo for an hour, then finding a way to escape she doesn't immediately race back to the coop. She hung out with her sisters, scratching through gravel and dirt near the coop as rain softly began to fall. Then the rain came down hard and I went inside and she went back to the coop, dang chicken! This is our first rodeo with a broody hen. She started this instinctual hoo haa on Friday, hanging out in a nesting box all afternoon. And evening. And sleeping there until at some point on Saturday, the day I drove home, she came out of the b...

Some GORGEOUS Anna Maria Parry fabric that HAD to be included. How it fits is shown below, past the chicken photo. Hard to believe it's already the eighth day of the eighth month of the freakin' year! I don't mean to malign 2025, but dude it feels (at times) like a year from, well, some back and beyond era that I thought was over. And then there's chickens.... Thankfully they remembered me after a five-day absence while I hung out at my daughter's residence, keeping an eye on those grandsons. My husband had chick duty, but yes I came back to pullets who still respond to my chicken voice, admittedly not as cute as my youngest grandson's chicken voice, but certainly familiar enough that last night one jumped from half a hay bale onto my shoulder! And it was a chicken that doesn't even like being picked up, whoa! Chicks this morning in the run.  It was sunny here today, in the mid-seventies Fahrenheit in our neck of the North Coast, and I soaked up some of thos...

Venus from this morning around 5.11 a.m. Not going to ponder more than that on that subject. It's June, 'nuff said. Our granddaughers are visiting, and today Grandpa took them to Dyerville to see the giant tree that fell in 1991. I'm still fighting that dang cold, but my back is MUCH BETTER. I'm looking forward to hearing what the girls thought of such an enormous nurse tree! What else??? Doing a little hand-sewing, watching a terrific season (2014) of Great British Bake Off with the girls; it's the Nancy/Richard/Luis series, with Martha, Kate, Norman, Iain, Jordan, Diana, Chetna, Enwezor, and Claire. The girls request a series on each visit, and it's lovely reacquainting with marvelous people and their magic with food. And truly that's about all that's going on; I have loads of thoughts on various subjects, but not enough time to write about them here. Still hoping to get baby chicks soon, which will depend on how I'm feeling by week's end. Jus...

The center of a Mandolin block I started during the weekend. Looking forward to working on it again today. We're home a day early from our daughter's house in the San Francisco Bay Area. On Saturday my husband got a head cold, so the decision was made to cut short by one day our long weekend visiting family. While I lamented his illness, leaving was the best option, and I went to bed that night mentally prepared for a road trip the next day. Which occurred, but not as I had imagined, for when I woke Sunday morning, my lower back was a TRAIN WRECK! No idea what I did, but it was something AWFUL, and I spent the early hours hobbling around, attempting minor stretches, as well as ingesting over the counter painkillers, all to no avail. Meanwhile my beloved was head cold sick as the proverbial dog (Do animals get head colds? I have no idea!), our plan to depart on his account now suddenly scuttled by my predicament, DUDE! I was literally limping around my daughter's house, trul...

Ice Cream Soda block in progress. While it's awesome to visit with family, home is home for a reason. We're back and happy to be here, and with most things unpacked and laundry spinning, it's time to consider what's next. LOL. But seriously.... My shoulder feels good after several days without sewing. The Alexandria quilt will be my focus this evening. After I finish an Ice Cream Soda block (pictured above) that I started over the weekend. Okay, I did a wee bit of stitching. I supervised (or helped build) Lego constructions. Gingerbread house constructions. Craft constructions. Played several card games, including Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza , which is MARVELOUS! If you're looking for a last-minute gift for any age, and aren't averse to a cool game of Slap Jack, it's a winner. But SERIOUSLY.... While I didn't do much sewing, I caught up on edits of my next novel, Splitting the Sky . Always great reading a book on one's phone for that published fee...

Slippers my grandsons left behind. Not long after my most recent post, I accidentally hit the create new post button. I titled it Not sure yet because of course there would be another post, written at a more opportune moment. In the middle of a family bash, most of my focus was on relatives and party details, and I can happily say the festivities were phenomenal! We haven't thrown a wing-ding like that in ages, nor at our still new-ish residence, which for many guests was their first time visiting. My husband certainly felt the love, many hands made for light work, and I got to play heaps of card games with the grandkids and others who appreciate Crazy 8's and Go Fish. By eight p.m. last night however I was TOAST. Partying hard in one's late fifties is...hilarious, in that I required a cup of caffeinated tea at lunch yesterday and still went to be before eight thirty. While I slept well, I've been awake for, um, a good while, and despite the mostly clear sky, admiring ...

  Current state of the design wall. My BFF spent the holiday weekend with us; she's a treasure and we had a marvelous time. Went to lunch, a fabric store (she's also a crafter, hehehe), enjoyed frozen yogurt as well as soft serve ice cream, but not on the same day, LOL! Many long chats were interspersed with some Ted Lasso and the Bell Riots episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , as this was the weekend for "Past Tense Parts 1 & 2" . She's not a big Trek fan, but enjoyed it, as well as finding TL charming. A lovely interlude spent with a dearheart, and I'm exceeding grateful for her in my life. Revisions move forward and fast; this weekend I completed what will be Book #8 of The Hawk while the BFF caught up on necessary sleep. And again this morning I plowed through four more chapters, reaching an important moment for the protagonist couple. I put Eric and Lynne together, because the novel is teeming with twosomes, easier to note that much occurs for ...

  One of three EPP blocks I finished yesterday after the kids left, hehehe. Weather along California's North Coast is wholly unpredictable. Meteorologists might provide an outline of temps and conditions, but truthfully living here joyfully means embracing the alterations that can slip away in less time than it takes to enjoy a cuppa. This morning is one such example; about half an hour ago the fog erased the nearby treeline, obscuring the roadway by our home. Within minutes, the fog began to lift, and while the mountains are still shrouded, I can see the treeline and street. I wouldn't hazard to guess if sunshine will make an appearance, but it might. Life is full of surprises you know. #2.... The grandsons left yesterday, the week full of trampolining, trail hikes, books, art, card and board games, a wee bit of Bluey , and other pleasant pastimes. Before they departed, a momma possum trotted through the yard, at least four babies on her back! None of us had ever seen that, al...

  House rules call for Free Parking to be more than a quiet resting place. Last week I visited my youngest daughter's family, helping out while her hubby was away on business. The weather in the Sacramento Valley was HOT for the first three days, and while later on we went to a park, splash pad, and pool, for the first few days we stayed inside and indulged in a different kind of entertainment: card and board games! Fortunately my grandsons love games, especially the eldest. Crazy 8's and Go Fish have been staples of his childhood, and his younger brother got in the act, learning the basics of Go Fish and how to deal, hehehe. Board game-wise we enjoyed Junior Scrabble, Life, Carcassonne Junior, Yahtzee, Battleship, and finally managed to squeeze in a game of Monopoly, National Parks version, pictured above. My youngest grandson wasn't a participant of all those games, but many, and I was so pleased he's taking an interest in card games. A deck of cards will never run ou...

This Mandolin block was waiting for me last night; I added four perimeter diamonds and it was finished! Subsequent pics are all EPP made during our holiday. Despite a head cold that emerged late Monday/early Tuesday, our holiday was marvelous! I add this disclaimer because right now I feel pretty crappy, so if this post rambles, it's due to my current state of health. Ice Cream Soda block My goodness, there is a lot I want to say, perhaps the best way to get back into the blogging swing is to eke out bits here and there. The Gee's Bend Quilts Collection was AMAZING! Thirteen quilts were on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art , beautiful comforters I never thought I might see in person. All were hand-quilted, most were completely hand-stitched. Designs, colors, and purpose made me grateful for my minor contributions to the quilting world, as well as causing me to wonder at future projects and ponder my fabric stash. Much food for thought at that deeply touching exhibit, wh...

  Creative spoils from last week. A big LOL needs to be attached to that title. I'm home, glad to be here, but in two and a half weeks my hubby and I are getting away to spend time with friends who graced our lives last December. This is a year for travel, at least for me. My better half isn't overly keen on leaving Humboldt County, but I'll take his vacations days and run with them. Blocks up close: Ice Cream Soda. For now I'm ensconced in my residence, maybe even wholly unpacked. Laundry is going, trinkets out and about, including a new (cheap) clock from IKEA that I'll transform into a fabric extravaganza. However, currently I want to extol the virtues of time away from one's routine, EPP blocks sewn in my absence, and how transitory my life feels, not merely because in another two weeks I will again pack a suitcase and kiss my usual existence so long . Hexie Flower, one-inch pieces. It's a fairly long-ish, but thankfully once out of the SF Bay Area uneve...

  Snapped at the park this afternoon while my granddaughters made bark chip ice cream cones. I head home tomorrow. The week has been filled with great familial joys, Ted Lasso , too much gluten, several edited chapters of The Hawk , plentiful hand-stitching, and mostly warm weather. I don't know when I'll get around to finishing Season One of Ted Lasso , but I will see this section of my family in just a few weeks. In the meantime.... There are books to revise, perhaps a story to craft, a quilt to throw on the design wall, more EPP to stitch, some garden plots to clear, and memories, oh the marvelous memories of the past seven days. Easter thrills, grandgirl giggles, laughter with my daughter, some outstanding NY bagels and babka. I've greatly missed my hubby, planning an early exit from the SF Bay Area as soon as I have the car packed in the morning. While driving I can mull over the excitement enjoyed since last weekend, with maybe a few book ideas spinning in my head. St...

  Heading west on I-580, just having crossed over a lengthy bridge. My goodness, where has the time gone? I've been back for two days, but no moment has been free to post here. I enjoyed a lovely getaway with an old friend, some warm temps, and an environment wholly altered to where I live. All in all, a terrific holiday, and now guests are arriving, which will probably preclude my usual flow of entries, although I truly am hoping to release my next book VERY SOON, lol. Getting out of one's routine is full of positives, the sense of adventure, especially when going somewhere new. Spending time with a pal from the the past enhanced the sojourn, much over which to chat. She knew our locale well, for which I was grateful. And I didn't miss my hexie box at all, instead spending my downtime reading one of my old novels, again falling in love with the sense of writing merely for my own pleasure. Our impending visitors will preclude me from diving into the prose, but I'm certa...

Happy 2024 to you! Despite suffering a small cold, I feel a lot like the mini figure pictured above. My youngest daughter sent me this photo a few days ago when she was putting together a Lego set. This chap's impish grin reflects how I'm feeling as January gets underway, so let me explain.... It's sunny today, also a little cool, one reason for my enthusiasm. Little by little the days are getting longer, what's not to like about that? Yesterday my hubby and I went to the beach with dear friends who we haven't seen in a long time. The waves were large and impressive, the camaraderie marvelous. The latest manuscript read-through continued this morning, an enjoyably easy way to delve into the writing as well as entertain myself, LOL! I'm happy with this initial peek at this first draft, stoking my interest in the next installment of this series. But mostly, I am EVER SO GRATEFUL this year begins for me without the scepter of agonizing heartache. Who wouldn't b...

The photo above was snapped as my hubby and I entered the San Francisco Bay Area, such a lovely weekend spent with family, celebrating Christmas. Suddenly all that hustle and bustle is over; we're back in Humboldt County, where rain fell this morning, high winds experienced, but no loss of power. I've spent today doing laundry, catching up on Christmas cards delivered in our absence, also sewing together a quilt back. Small steps in returning myself to the routine and maybe tomorrow I'll incorporate some editing, woo hoo! The end of the year is nigh, hard to believe 2023 is nearly done. I filled in a second paper calendar this afternoon, which will hang in my office. In reading over letters enclosed in holiday cards, I caught up with several families, lives busy with various activities. Now back at home, I inhale the familiar and embrace tasks basically forgotten while I was away. Granddaughters have a way of doing that, hehehe. I read many books, played board games, did ar...

One small Far & Away square in Brushfire. The end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend finds my other half and I home from familial visiting. Dinner has been eaten, we're listening to the new Kurt Vile EP-LP, Back to Moon Beach . I'm working on another Cornflower block that I took with me to stitch, but after getting the inner petals sewn together, I found half of the squares were basically the same hue as half of the petals; DOH! We weren't home more than half an hour and I had chosen a different fabric from William Reue's Architecture School collection. 'Far & Away' in Brushfire was the winner, as well as being very close to the title of my fictional WIP. Then I wondered if I had coined the title from that print, or maybe I dreamed doing so. I had been longing over that fabric once I saw it on my fave online store, and it's been in my stash for a while. Very fun when incidental issues get tangled together. I've been awake for a long time today,...