August Already??!!

August Already??!!

1:00 p.m. I think a month goes by as fast as a week (or less) used to. I never get used to it. I can remember when summer lasted a long time. Now it seems like the other three seasons together go by faster than summer used to go. I’m in a mood, today. Woke up that way. I can’t remember enough of my dream to know what set it off, but waking up cold did not help. I’ve come…

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Too Much Happening

Too Much Happening

Tuesday we had our GabCraft meeting. Rather than work on our macramé, we did string art. It was difficult, mainly because the “instructions” were horrible. Kris, who had the most complex design, was actually missing half of hers. Not that they would help much. Elaine (Kris’s BFF) had the best directions. After saying how to do it, which none of us understood, it said “Or use your imagination and be creative.” So she just did what she felt like doing….

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It’s Hot Outside

It’s Hot Outside

And I’m cold because when the temps are above 90°, Iqbal needs the a/c on. It’s not set too low the way most commercial places seem to be, but even 75° seems cold when you’ve been out in 90°. I don’t understand how someone who grew up in India without a/c can’t take any heat. Of course, he feels cold when outside temperatures fall below 65°-70°, too. Work on the sewing room goes slowly. That’s partly because I get distracted….

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Oh! The Excitement!

Oh! The Excitement!

Somewhere. But not here. I’ve worked a little each day. Iqbal, ever the optimist, said I’ll be done by the end of the week. I’d like to think so, but experience says otherwise. But it is better than yesterday. I didn’t think to take “Before” photos and it’d take me too long to find old photos, but it was definitely overcrowded. I got the art room furniture moved out last week. On Sunday I moved the sewing counter 90°. ↓…

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What A Mess!

What A Mess!

The desks and shelves are in place, but nothing else is. I think I got everything that was on the art desk moved. I also think I’ll be working on both rooms at once for a while. Here’s another NOT-TO-SCALE sketch The yellow dashed lines give an idea how the room was cramped before. The cutting table is closer to the yarn chest and there’s only just enough room at each end to get around it and not that much…

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Saying Goodbye Is Hard

Saying Goodbye Is Hard

I sorted through stuffed animals yesterday. I’m too sentimental and anthropomorphize too much. I had to say goodbye to the Sesame Street characters and lots of bears and other adorable critters. The only way to do it was to keep telling myself some children were going to find and love them. It’s not like I don’t have any for myself. I have a bin full of Christmas critters and I kept any Iqbal gave to me. Alex had already pulled…

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About Three Weeks Ago

About Three Weeks Ago

Maybe it was just two weeks. I played with a photo of the GabCraft circle in my last post. I removed the yellow daubing under the large flowers and basically just solidified colors everywhere except the butterflies and alligator. The point was to see how it would looked kaleidoscoped. I didn’t get past 3 mirrors, but I rather like these three. especially the last. If I had thought about kaleidoscoping when I made the paper copy, I probably would not…

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GabCraft Day

GabCraft Day

GabCraft is the name I gave to the twice monthly days my sister, sister-in-law, and I get together to craft and gab. I was hostess, today. Debie (sister) was unable to join us until late, so she didn’t join in this craft session. Since there is so much, even after giving a lot away, I decided we should play with Mom’s art supplies. I was going to have us make journals, but when I asked Kris, she thought she should…

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Solar Powered

Solar Powered

That’s me. And it’s never so obvious to me as in late spring, with Oregon’s on and (mostly) off sunshine. On a sunny day I can get right to things. On a cloudy day, with or without rain, it takes half the day to get revved up. It does not help that my inner two year old controls my sleep pattern. 1 am: “I need to go to bed.” “No!” 2 am “I need to go to bed.” “No!” 3…

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70!!!

70!!!

I look in the mirror and remember my grandma at 70. Nope. My mom? Maybe . . . not. And I certainly don’t feel 70. The only giveaway to me is how quickly I tire, but I truly believe that has more to do with being out of shape than being 70. I’m working on that, so we’ll see. I don’t really expect to get all my old strength back, but I’m pretty sure, as I get back to more…

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