Morning Glory Studio

Gratitude and Cheers~

 

I have spent the last four days of NaBloPoMo in medical facilities - where I am currently: Earlier today, my opthamologist’s office, for my annual exam…and a prescription for new glasses that I totally need. After I left the eye doctor’s, I drove to a hospital where my oldest grandniece, Dolly, (Chris’ mother ) is: 

Mon, she was admitted to the hospital in distress…she was seven months pregnant and experiencing major problems. She had an emergency C-section, not only to save the baby’s life but also hers. Her kidneys weren’t functioning so they did dialysis; she had blood clots in both lungs and her insulin dropped to record low levels. This has certainly been a tough week and it is far from over but each day brings brighter hope and progress with her health. The baby is holding his own quite well.

Family, including friends, have been here ‘round the clock, Each day there is a bit of improvement - for which we are eternally grateful. 

I don’t know that I will ever come up with the words that express our feelings and appreciation for the care both Dolly and the baby are receiving. Staff are professional and available and supportive. The hospital is modern, open, inviting and pleasant. 

I end this post extending Congratulations to you on making it to the end of this month of posting daily to your blog…and/or reading and commenting on the posts of other bloggers. I fully know and totally appreciate the energy and time one or both consumes…and some days are easy and others tougher. But in the end, it’s all worth it - whether one posts 1, 10, 20 or 30 days. The name of the game is communicating, sharing, learning, giving, encouraging, appreciating.

In closing today’s post and the end of NaBloPoMo, I invite you to take a look at this video…it’s one of my favorite ways to CELEBRATE!

Cheers~

Unraveled Wednesday | on knitting and procrastinating...

     

     Over the weekend, I read a short book on  a subject that is a perennial interest:  procrastination.  Nah, I wasn't procrastinating... but I do! One  tip encourages Procrastinators to deal with diversions, such as checking email, social media, by creating an implementation intentions chart for tackling those tasks  that fall in the  procrastinate category. (Ha! I thought, there isn't a piece of paper big enough.)  

The thinking is  when we don't feel like doing  that particular task, we could consult the chart and choose the next action . OK, that sounded quite reasonable  but a bigger problem for me is deciding which project to work on next -  so I decided I'd create a chart for a few of my knitting PiPs (projects in progress , e.g.,

•  a sock that needs the toe finished and the second sock started;
• several cowls that I need to swatch for gauge;
• the hat for the new baby, etc.).

I not only made the chart, I also transferred the projects into bright new plastic storage bags from IKEA: they come in a variety of colors and sizes. As for choosing which one to work on next, I think I'll close my eyes and just pull one from the lot.

I'll report next week on the progress...now, time to resume A Rule Against Murder, #4 of Inspector Gamache. Joining Kat and others here.

 How do you handle procrastination? 

Cheers~

Soothing sights for the senses and the soul...

There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

~Aristotle

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~

 

sunrise...sunset...

 

sunrise @ 6:58 am

 

sunset @ 5:01 pm

 

I don't think I shall ever tire of seeing either... and today, we were given the opportunity to witness both of these spectacular wonders. 

 

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~

windblown sunday...

 

 

"Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads.
The wind is passing by."
-  Christina Rossetti 

5:30 am: The wind awakened me very very early this morning. Unable to resume sleep, I instead got up and read, finishing The Cruelest Month, Louise Penny's third Inspector Gamache novel. Finally! 

Downstairs, I make tea, open my journal and write:

7 am: The wind has settled a lot - earlier, it howled and roared and roared and howled. A mountainous grey cloud hovers; one of the deck doors creaks; and the wind chime is going crazy, rocked to and fro by the wind. A flock of small birds is swept up by the wind and then, dropped safely on the garage roof...

• I am grateful for my warm house and the bright sun that takes a bit of the edge off the howling wind ...
• I am grateful that I do not have to venture out ...
• I am grateful for a quiet Sunday and that I have many options from which to choose ...

12:20 pm: Morning has ticked its way to now. Throughout the morning, I've read and written and read...The wind continues to gust and howl; trees sway, bend ...  I, still in my jammies, debate getting dressed ...I take mental inventory of what is on tap tomorrow/this week and decide to dress, after all! And get on with the day.

Shhh! The wind has quieted down! For a moment...

of power and time...

 

It is nearly 4:30 pm. I am seated at the table in the GR; the TV is on in the background. Norman's just finished his lunch...or perhaps, it is an early dinner. I just returned about 15 minutes ago from picking up my sisters' car from the auto repair: looks like she may need an expensive radiator/engine repair job. She's not a happy camper...can't say I blame her. Seems that auty -mo-biles (as my mom would say) have dominated my agenda and life the past 7+ days.

The TV is on...a holiday commercial for a car is playing... I think: so soon! I seem to be at odds ends...not sure what I want to do... I pick up Mary Oliver's Upstream. This paragraph on page 23 at the beginning of the chapter : "Of Power and Time,"resonates:

It is a silver morning like any other. I am at my desk. Then the phone rings, or someone raps at the door. I am deep in the machinery of my wits. Reluctantly I rise, I answer the phone or open the door. And the thought which I had in hand, or almost in hand, is gone.

And that is where I am; my mind is blank. The day is nearly over - sunset is at 4:52 pm...just seconds away. Oh well, I think, perhaps tomorrow I will be more focused. Perhaps...

Cheers~

Simply a moment | 15 November 2017...

11:15 am 

 

        I have just finished watching Ali Edwards' monthly StoryKit presentation ...  In many ways, this morning is not much different than other mornings on the 15 of the month except for one major way. Today is my 75th birthday! I've spent a very leisurely morning, so far, receiving best wishes from family and friends.

I don't feel any different today than I did yesterday. Years ago, in my mid 30s, I heard a talk by a gerontologist who said that our self concept stops circa age 35...in other words, we may grow older but in our minds, we don't. I believe that and think those words are a gift that has been with me for forty years. 

This month's story spark theme is Give and as I prepared this post, I jotted down a few of the gifts in my life for which I GIVE thanks:

1. changing  seasons: tho' it's been cold these past few days I am grateful for the season's change, especially. Autumn is my favorite time of the year...
2. morning quiet: I sit here, in my usual spot, a bright and cold autumn morn, watching the day unfold; the birds and squirrels busily foraging ...
3. my health and well-being: of course I have creaks and moments when I don't remember what I was going to do next,,,but, I attribute that to being disorganized...
4. birthday well wishes from family, friends , and especially Norman's rendition of an Apple watch (coming) complimented by a sampler box of chocolates...
5.  memories: of previous birthdays over the course of my life (including one saddened by the death of a friend but finding comfort in our many years of friendship) ...

Today, we have no special plans other than to enjoy the day, commemorated of course by pizza, salad and champagne...and a piece of chocolate or two. 

 

Last week I wrote that I had one more Top This Hat (TTH) to knit...I succumbed. I went to the yarn shop and my won't power up and left...so, I wound up buying not only another TTH but also yarn and a new pattern: Hayfield Baby Blossom DK 4839...

 Wishing you the gift of many treasured  moments, too.

Cheers~

PS. Do drop over to Kat's blog to join in Unraveled Wednesday, too! Lots of good knitting and reading shared.

Remembering Veterans...

(Captain Francois)

Ninety nine years ago, on November 11, 1918 at 11:11 am, the armistice that ended WWI was signed.  My father was one of our nation's veterans and he served this country proudly and long.

My dad told this story about joining the army: When WWI broke, my dad went to enlist..and he was rejected! Why? Too young! If I recall the story correctly, he was only 13 years old...and that was a guess because the Army established his age/birthdate as 1901. As soon as he was of age, he enlisted!

His active duty ended at age 83 when he died - for he stayed in the military reserve.

I am grateful to all our military, especially those who gave their lives in service to this country and to protect our freedoms. 

Peace.