Morning Glory Studio

sometimes mondays | 7.9.2018 ...

  

Saturday's #blueskyblooms

are a continuation of the weekend's perfect weather and #blueskyblooms. We are so grateful for this break in the weather; what a treat it has been. I hope Mother Nature's been extra kind in your corner of the world, too! Enjoy your day!

Cheers~

 

collecting may | 2018 ...

 

(double click to see the images larger ) 

May was filled with 31 days of making scrapbook layouts ...some I shared on the blog over the days and some,  I've also included in this collection. I thought I'd leave the dates off  the collage this time around - I find them intrusive.

A quick review:

• 10 photos are layouts - mostly of Dolly and her boys;  one layout, row 3, features my niece Kayla;
• 3 layouts  are about me: my ride at Disney's Space Mountain; the C grade I received in elementary school for handwriting; and the fiasco with my cell phone ...
• 2 pics show me with both long and short and GRAY hair! Yikes!
• 3 photos share glimpses of relaxing in front of the tv...and 1 TVshot of the brilliant 19 year-old cellist playing at the Royal wedding (I caught the end of the wedding and I'm glad I saw/heard him!);
• the photo at the beginning of (row 4) is my friends here at my house  for our monthly Friendstitching gathering and in the same row, the   little baby boy is  Chris when he was about 6 months old.

All in all, t'was a good month; lots more time at home than on the road and the weather was better more days than not. I wrapped up the month with the Convergence quilting class; twas fun and I'll share the results next week. Do you do Pinterest? I have a few boards but I stay away from it...truly a rabbit hole of the first order. Having said that, I did follow one Convergence pinner...haven't looked very closely yet.  I think I may have at least 3 more convergence quilts in my future. 

Welcome June! Enjoy the weekend; til Monday,

Cheers~

 

week in the life | thurs 5.10.2018 | thankful ...

 

 

Thankful for this morning's sunrise - 6:02 am

Today is  Stitchin day...there were just three of us instead of our usual 5 : one just returned home after surgery and an 8-days stint in the hospital and the other is in Cape May, getting her summer home ready.

Tho' we missed  them, they missed another great spread: prosciutto and salami; grilled aspagus with lemon juice; two kinds of cheese - my Achilles heel-and lots of other tasty bits: breads; fresh melon and citrus fruits; olives; and the best dessert this side (east ) of the Rockies: a lemon mini cupcake... Yum! Yum!

I shared Sally Melville's Necessary Neutral  (thanks to Kym for introducing and sharing on her blog ) with Hilary, our hostess. She's a long time knitter, has lots of  yarn and two young granddaughters, so she decided to knit a blanket for each - this is the first one, about half done.

Thankful for this fun bit of entertainment and fun for little ones

3:50 pm: Sitting outside Starbucks at my fave place - across from the water spout. Tho' the sky is overcast and a storm threatens, the temp is 83°. Just a year ago, this shopping mall that houses Whole Foods had just opened...now there is a membership gym; several restaurants; a bank; Xfinity and several other businesses plus townhouses...and construction continues ...I enjoy coming/stopping here, especially in the warm weather so I can sit outside and take in the sights - out "in the nature," as my niece Dolly oft said when she was about her son Chris' age...who'll be 4 years old in exactly one month! Being here reminds me that we should bring Chris to play in the water, too! 

4:08 pm: Feeling raindrops! Guess it's time to go home...drats! Before the rains really come...

5:26 pm : Home---no rain... Norman and I catch each other up on our day and I chat on the phone with friend MT  and update my notes for the blog post...

Thankful for this evening's sunset @ 8:01 pm

7:56 pm : Watched the news; finished today's layout; took photo of the sunset and had this delicious salad...

Thankful for this delicious salad

9:00 pm: Retired for the evening with a glass of wine and knitting:  the log cabin/nine-patch block.  Progress is slow but it exists...

Thankful for a lovely day with friends,  home sweet home and the making of many pleasurable memories. For what are you thankful?

Cheers~

 

unraveled wednesday | "tasting again ...

 

...for the first time..."

     One Sunday (nearly 14 years ago), several  weeks after my mother died, I discovered a new-to-me knit shop, about 35 -40 miles away.  So, I decided  an excursion was in order and off I went. The shop was filled with lovely yarns and one could tell it was popular, filled with regulars. I browsed ...fondled yarns... perused books...and stopped in my tracks when I ran across Sally Melville's Book 1: The Knit Stitch.

Two things on the cover got my attention: 1 - the Scarf and 2 - "photography by Alexis Xenakis." The Xenakis name is well known in the spinning/weaving world, too. My mother was a weaver and had many patterns and books created by the Xenakis. I sat down with book in hand and began to browse through it...I decided to buy, not only for the "inspiration and instruction" and connection but also for the bon mots - words of meditation that introduce each chapter. I also bought some lovely yarn to knit the scarf...

At this point, I should insert a photo of the scarf for I've had plenty of time, and then some, to knit  it ...but alas, that is not the case. I don't think I was ready. I carefully put the yarn away in a pantry, fully intending to begin the project. In the interim I have started (even finishing) other knitting projects. Fast forward to late 2017 and the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 4: Log Cabin. I first learned about the log cabin from Kathy B of Compassion Knit. I of course was familiar with the log cabin block because of my quilting connection.

Last week, Kat mentioned in one of her wonderful knitting links' roundup, the Log Cabin LogAlong... I checked it out and thought, perhaps I could use the yarn I bought for Sally's scarf for the LogAlong;  I could get more/better use out of a blanket than a scarf..and, drum roll please:  Sally's book and the KAL make for a perfect project to accompany my 2017 & 2018 words: practice...complete...peace...mindful. 

I am so excited. Watch this spot. Joining Kat and others for this week's Unraveled Wednesday; look for their links in the comments. 

Cheers~

sunday baroque and devotions ...

 

7:08 am: Sunrise. Sunday Baroque.* Hot tea in my mug. Several good books including Mary Oliver's Devotions, just received yesterday. Gently, I open the book, peruse the table of contents, turn to this page and that, taking, along the way, not only a sip of my tea but also the words there on the pages. Strong yet gentle. Poignant and soothing. New and familiar... comforting and inquiring... I pause to take a photo or two or three and then decide to make a collage to capture this/these moments. Satisfied, I return to my tasting of the poems...and feel a smile cross my face: This! This is the one! 

"At Blackwater Pond"

At Blackwater Pond the tossed waters have settled after a night of rain.

I dip my cupped hands. I drink a long time. It tastes like stone, leaves, fire. It falls cold

into my body, waking the bones. I hear them

deep inside me, whispering

oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?

~Mary Oliver  Devotions 2017. Page 393

 

*Sunday Baroque is a radio program I listened to religiously in the early 2000s and then for some reason, stopped. Several weeks ago, one Sunday morning, that memory popped into my head... I did a google search and was delighted to find that it was not only still on the air but also featured the hostess that I knew- Susanne Bona- and was celebrating its 30th year! If you like baroque music, worth a listen. 

Cheers~

 

Thursday's 3: Giving Thanks...

I'm thankful for every moment

~ Al Green
 

Mornings of solitude and quiet: I cannot say it often enough to myself especially how very grateful I am for every morning of solitude, quiet time. My time to connect with myself and the natural world. As I sit here and pen this post on my iPad, I see a squirrel scampering down an electric wire, onto a limb of "this tree" - the leaves are nearly all gone - and up the trunk...I suppose the squirrel has a home up high. The sun's rays cast a bright glow on the leaves that linger, still ...and the sky is clear - not a cloud to be seen. All's quiet - there's not a bit of traffic tho'  I am hearing a somewhat distant sound, much like a leaf blower...I get up to investigate and yes!  A leaf blower. But it won't last forever .

Family and friends: All enrich my life...plain and simple. And to each, I am eternally grateful. Knowing each has brought joy into my life and made me, a better person... I trust I have reciprocated, in kind. 

Sticker success: The saga of the emissions' test for the Benz is over. Yesterday, we returned, wary yet hopeful. The car passed! "We have a sticker!"...as Norman said many times over last night! (I chimed in too! ) We celebrated with a glass of bubbly (and nope, no pizza - popcorn!)

I just received an alert on my phone: the Macy's Parade is about to start! I guess that means it's time to get on with the day. Later, we are off to Thanksgving dinner. Wishing you a great day! And join Carole and others on this wonder-filled day.

Cheers~

3 on Thursday | 9 november 2017

 

 

 

 Three  furry  friends joined today's weekly Thursday stitch-in. Five of us gathered and had a lovely three hours , starting with  a delicious brunch featuring three delicious salads, homemade biscuits and a delicious Cinnamon Apple Cake:

Recipe: 1 box yellow cake mix; 1 can apple pie filling; 3 eggs; cinnamon sugar in middle and on top. Bake at 350 degrees 35-40 minutes. Easy to freeze. 

It's so good I don't think one would have any left to freeze but maybe make two: one to eat and one to savor...

Two tickets to a concert tonight ...Norman and I are attending ...the concert, one of many performances presented by The Clarice, features a saxophone artist and is being held in a new venue on the U MD campus ....it is both a restaurant and craft bar...promises to be different and interesting...more tomorrow!

 

One more Top This hat approximately 2/3rds done! And speaking of hats: I  am, along with hundreds of  thousands of voters, especially women, ecstatic with Tuesday's election results...so unlike this time last year! Not only were there big winnings and women who won seats in their local governments, I am so impressed with the statistics that show We WOMEN voted! And in celebration I am going to wear my Women's March pink hat to tonight's concert! It's certainly going to be cold enough and the hat keeps me warm. Go Women Go!

I am joining Carole and others with this post. What are 3 things on your list? 

Cheers~

Saying Goodbye to Sisters...

 
 

Today, as we welcomed morning- reluctantly - we watched the sun rise over the mountains: mist tinged with the pinks and soft yellows.

On the road, headed N toward Portland. Listening to Isaac Albeniz, guitarist. Linda my friend and companion just remarked: “I guess going to Sisters is like going to Disney (Land/World)… I asked "How?" She answered: "Because you always have something to entertain you."

I nodded and thought: Yes! Most noticeably: Mother Nature:

• wide open spaces
• hillsides dotted with every variety of pine you can imagine;
• majestic skies filled with clouds of every shape, formation;colors;
• mountains surrounding, encircling us on every side;
• highway dotted with little clumps of yellow sage, bales of hay;
• trees are slowly and surely turning…more yellow than red at this point in early autumn.

And this is just one facet of Oregon, blessed with every type of terrain, foliage one can imagine.

Soon, Sisters - the enchanted little city with its little population of deer that roam with abandon will be just an ever-present memory ... and yearning.

Cheers~ 

the joys of today...

 

Today has been filled with little things that bring joy:

1. The day was sunny... and cool enough - mid 70s - to wear jeans, a long sleeved T and a lightweight denim jacket...my kinda weather...
2. I walked today to my favorite coffee shop - Zeke's  - and sat outside with coffee, journal, and book, Old Friend from Far Away. Perfect setting for another writing exercise or two...
3.  Just off the wire ( 5;36 pm, EST) : The Washington Nationals clinched their third division title - the NL East -  in four years...which means they are in the play-offs. Fingers crossed that they make it to the World Series this year! Go Nats Go!...
4. Walking home from Zeke's, I passed a young woman and young man, playing musical instruments on the street. Their sound was lively and what was most interesting: another passerby stopped to talk and asked if he might join them in making music. I stepped into a store and as I walked out, looked behind to see that they had given him an instrument too. That made me smile...
5. This afternoon, I made myself four TN style notebooks  with dot grid interior pages. These are "test cases." I will use the top one as my  daily planner/notecatcher, etc; the red one: thoughts, ideas, inspiration. The white; books to read and/or PiPs;  and the orange-y one for my trip. I plan to give them a "test spin" starting tomorrow...

I trust your day was also filled with joy.

Cheers~

on a solar eclipse day | 21 aug 2017

 

 

(Norman fixing salmon burgers )

I am happy to say that I am mending. I am stiff and my knees, still sore but I'll be OK. This morning, I returned to the scene of the crime - er uh, fall - for two reasons: 1- I wanted to see what might have caused me to fall; can't say there were any clues and 2- I decided that I shouldn't avoid that route ; it's one I frequently walk and avoidance doesn't mean that I wouldn't/couldn't fall any place else. Fingers crossed that I don't, ever again. Thanks to all for your well wishes. 

 

   -this was taken a couple minutes before our 80% partial eclipse here in DC- yo can see how the outside had darkened-

We watched the eclipse on  TV;  pretty good view  - especially since we didn't have glasses. We didn't have to worry about exposing our eyes. The day definitely got darker for a few moments and the birds, crickets, cat, disoriented.

Our water company updated its web site/"customer portal," which requires us to re-enroll...I tried at least a half dozen times and couldn't. I was told that I needed to use Internet Explorer...that didn't work...so I called Customer Service - again. I got a top-notch representative who was a) knowledgeable; b) pleasant; c) helpful; d) smart. She was able to tell right away what the problem was - misspelled name. With that tiny bit of knowledge, re-enrolling was as easy as 1,2,3. I think she deserves a raise 'cause I'm sure that she's been inundated by customers who are/have been frustrated with the process. I am writing a letter of commendation! 

The contents of my happy mail from the other day...lots of new-to-me teas to try and a delightful verse...

 

And that's the way it was on this solar eclipse day!  Hope yours was great, too!

Cheers~