And as seems to have become the norm, I haven’t done half the projects I planned for summer. That’s the only thing I hate about getting older–not having the energy or stamina to work physically from eight or nine in the morning until three, four or five in the afternoon.

Yesterday I worked outside for about ninety minutes, and though the temperature was only low 80°s, I was wiped out. Still, I did manage to plant the candytuft Debie gave me. After I’d rested, I got together most all the sewing tools, threads, and cloths that I usually end up littering the living room with, and put them into the storage footrest/bench. I still have room!! And, as long as I remember to put them away when I’m done for the day, the living room stays neat. My sister gave me a canvas basket for that purpose, but it was too deep. However, that basket is perfect for keeping the crochet, which as the afghan grows will easily fill more than the remaining space in the bench. It will work for quilts, too, once I finally get to one.

Hmm . . . I thought I’d mentioned the bench before, but I don’t see where. I had a lovely oval marble-top Victorian coffee table — maybe 24″ x 15″. With books, magazines, cloth, thread, and various tools (mostly sewing, but occasionally others), the table and too much of the floor around it was always a mess. Iqbal is very patient, but he let me know it bothered him. And, frankly, even though I have a higher tolerance for disorder, it bothered me, too. I have a large footrest at the other couch that is hollow. I thought I could turn the cushion into the top of a box (ie. separate the cushion from the box frame) and add a piece of plywood to the bottom to contain the box. But I never got to it for various reasons, so I started browsing Amazon and found one I liked and could afford, so I got it. I also got six fabric covered boxes (which I could have made, but most likely wouldn’t have) to put inside to keep things somewhat organized.

These were taken right after I got it. The (slightly bigger) crochet afghan and hooks are now moved to the canvas basket, and three of the boxes filled with thread, one with miscellaneous fabric pieces. Some sewing tools are where the afghan was. It looks much better than a bunch of mismatched open plastic and cardboard boxes spread where and beyond the bench is. (And Iqbal now has a bigger table beside his recliner.)

Today I’ve been lazy. All I did was put a small load of laundry in the wash and collect a bunch of small projects–finished and unfinished. I had started to put some into page protectors in a notebook. By the time I finished today there were three full notebooks and a fourth started. One project isn’t really all that small. It’s a TAST stitch sampler I started in 2017 (?). Once I get that one done I want it to hang in the sewing room as a reference. That’ll probably bring it down to three notebooks full. At some point I’ll add more of them to my WIPs and UFOs page.

I’ve been in a mood all summer. I want it to go away. NOW! . . . It’s still here.

I want to do some sewing/embroidery/patchwork/anything fiber creative! but can’t seem to generate the mental energy to get to it. I haven’t even been good about jotting down notes. I did play on GIMP to figure out a string art design, but still haven’t managed to print it out and get to it. (Weak excuse is that I have to use Iqbal’s printer because one of mine is out of ink and the other thinks it has a paper jam.)

Anyway, I hope that now that I have things back in the living room, that I might actually manage at least a little stitching.

Do we ever get things the way we want them? I don’t think so? At least for myself. I can’t not be a night owl. (I really have tried!) I can’t not be ADD. These are intrinsic qualities to who I am, despite what I’ve been told in the past. I definitely embrace those qualities sometimes. If I weren’t an ADD night owl, I’d probably be lamenting about not having the qualities I embrace. I might be very tidy, but not feel at all creative. Hmm . . . I’d settle for alternating tidy/creative. . . . But I am what I am. I know, have always known, that I am creative. In more ways than “artistic” expression. I love problem solving (except for those trains in math class). I remember when hyper-focus helped me balance someone’s checkbook to the penny when I did customer service at the bank, but even with something as cut and dried as a checkbook with options a, b, c, or d, I’d go to g to get the answer. Creativity. (This whole paragraph is a wandering mind.)

I have forgotten what I intended when I started this post, or if I even intended anything. Possibly something about trying to get organized. Something I’ve been trying to do with minimal success (if it’s even enough to call minimal success) for sixty years.

My “Squirrel!!” moment of the day was just a minute ago, only it was “Moon!!” I looked up to see a full moon through my window. I snapped the first photo, but that’s not what I saw. I see the reflection of the wall only if I look for it. So I went outside and snapped three more photos. What I see is still a lot clearer/sharper, but this is the best camera I have. At least the yellow wall is gone. (I love it in my living room, but not in a moon photo.)

And with that I’ll close and see if I can stitch or crochet or something.