It was a steady, visible rain, not a misty rain. Other than to note that, I didn’t pay much attention. The day before, and all week, was an off and on rain. I remember wondering earlier in the week where had the birds gone. Staying out of the rain, obviously. Today the birds are playing. From my chair in the living room, I am watching them flit around in the bare cherry tree, fly away, return. I think they are enjoying being able to stretch their wings.

I did not stretch my wings. I plodded away at getting my machine embroidery files organized. I think I am finally nearing completion. From then it will be simple maintenance.

I feel a desire, today, to fly, literally. I want to feel the wind around me, to feel its support as well as it’s opposition. As if I remember flying, and I miss it. Next best thing would be to stand on a cliff or mountain or hill in the wind. In nature. City hills don’t cut it. City hills don’t feel like hills (other than walking up a relatively steep one). Even though my front yard is a full story above mt back yard and my back neighbors about ten feet below. Even though on a clear winter day (very rare) I can see Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson. I remember the hill-lessness about hilly Kansas City, too. Back on the farm, though, even being in a relatively flat meadow, I felt the hill-ness of the farm, even when I couldn’t see across the valley.

How can I “remember” what it is to fly?

This week I stitched two more tags for my TAST collection. (And I just realized if I take a picture on the Facebook app, it doesn’t go into my pictures on my phone!)

• Yellow = 2 stands of rayon floss
• Purple = 2 stands of unlabeled metallic thread
• Variegated = 1 strand perle 8

From top row to bottom row:

• Perle 8
• Variegated metallic
• Perle 5
• Perle 3
• 2 strands rayon floss

I don’t know enough about beads to say what size they are. I just go by what it looks like and if it fits the space and my needle.