A Good Day

It starts off with Roger bringing me a couple mugs (sequentially) of yerbe mate.  I sip it, listen to NPR, and contemplate the day ahead.  I'm usually out of bed at 7:30 and greet Suzie who waits for me at the bottom of the stairs.  After a good belly rub she's ready for her breakfast and I for mine. 

I like to work a Sudoku at breakfast to sort of wake-up my brain.  So by 8:30 it's time to get dressed, make the bed, get the day goin'.  Check my e-mail and do the dishes I couldn't face the night before.  Housework takes me to 10 or 10:30.  Then I can't stand it anymore and I must get outside.  This is when Suzie and I go on a walk.  It it is raining, it might only be a twenty minute tour of the homestead.  If dry, we try to get an hour in--30 minutes out and back.  My sister Rosalie's place is about that far away unless you cut through Jonna's.  Walking gets me thinking about things, noticing the Indian plum is blooming and I see the first skunk cabbage emerging near the stream bed.  I should come back here with my camera and document this.

We get back in time for me to make lunch, soup out of leftovers and a sandwich on Bakery San Juan bread.  Should I check my e-mail once more or read that book I just started?  Hopefully, I can get something done this afternoon.  But I'm tired after my walk, perhaps just a short little nap?  And look, the kitchen is all messed up again and I need to take the laundry out of the drier.  If I'm not careful, it's after one before I can start on any "projects".  I know, I'll go downstairs and work in the craftsroom.

Can't start anything until after I tidy up this place.  Oh, look at those cute baby clothes patterns, I really must get started on them before Audrey outgrows that size.  And here's a box of photos, should I start sorting through them now?  (must concentrate--what do I want to do today)  I've got the yarn for that weaving project.  I'll do it--I'll warp the loom today.  Well, okay, I'll at least wind the warp.  Oh no! Suzie!  Leave that ball of yarn alone!  Bad Dog!  Should only take a minute here to rewind that ball.

Two hours later--so maybe I'll only wind half the warp today.  I think I'll have time to wind the rest tomorrow.  Right now I am going to get a massage.  Let's see,  its on Egg Lake Road, that should take me all of six minutes to get there.  Ahhhhh. 

Home by 5:06.  Must make dinner.  Roger tells me he's delivered the fresh lettuce from his greenhouse for tonight's salad.  I'll cook the ravioli and toss it with pine nuts and pesto.  Peach pie for desert.

Now I'm watching the Olympics on t.v.  Too tired to wind the rest of the warp after dinner.  Didn't accomplish much today, really.  Let's see, nope, just a couple hours worth of weaving prep.  Oh yes, and I finally posted something on the blog.

January 2010

Audrey Josephine Ellison born 1:07 PM, Thursday, January 21st.  8'10" Mother and daughter doing fine.

Here is a pix of Ethel and Iliana holding new baby.

After that, the news becomes more mundane.  I've been working on some basketry.  Ruthie from my Textile Guild gave me some yellow twig dogwood trimmings, so I made a basket using them and a little purple plum:

I plan to give it to Ruthie as a thank-you gift.  Tomorrow, I start a three day workshop on Shaw for beginning weaving.  Even though I have been weaving since the 70's, it has been over ten years since I had anything on the loom which has been in storage since we sold our house in Seattle in 2001.  The weaving class uses a table loom, but I believe the enthusiasm engendered by that class will propel me into starting a project on my 4-harness floor loom.

This month as been mild and relatively dry.  Roger has gotten lots of pruning done, including the crab apple in the courtyard and this hawthorn next to the house:This was one of those, got to do this task before this other task that I really want to get done happens.  In this case, a friend asked if I could use some willow.  Of course I said yes, but it was too branchy for basket work, so I decided to use it to replenish the wattle fence behind the kitchen garden. 

This couldn't happen until the hawthorn was pruned so that branches wouldn't hit the new fence. The wattle fence acts as a reflector of afternoon sun.  See the new green branches on top of old faded willow.
I've also been working on the living bench project near the rv.  It's looking good but I will wait with pictures until new branches make it more impressive. 

I've am grateful for the mild weather this month as I have been walking every day.  Next week will be busy with three days on Shaw and then a trip to the mainland to see our new little granddaughter.  January will be gone in a flash.