Morning Glory Studio

a breath of spring...

~sunset:  circa 6:10 pm ~

Today we had a breath of spring-like weather! The temperature reached a balmy high of 71 degrees! And sunshine! One was almost enticed to run outside and turn a somersault or two...but one's better sense prevailed! Fortunately. Instead, one spent the afternoon attending to crossing off items on last week's list - barely looked at to due to being laid low with the flu! One major accomplishment: updating the Mac operating system. I just love the help I get from Apple Support! Looks like I have about 45 minutes remaining before the OS is updated.

Tomorrow's forecast suggests more of the same weather. N has an early AM doctor appointment and I imagine we'll swing by the grocery store afterwards ... we're down to two bananas and other essentials. It will be good to get out a bit...especially on a balmy spring-like day.

Cheers~

rainy days and mondays ...

 

just before sunrise, 8 january 2018, circa 7:10 am

     Shortly before sunrise, I was thinking to myself: how nice our 4+ days staycation - last week through yesterday (Sunday) - has been and as I made tea, debated: will I go to Milltown (quilt group meeting - we've been on vacation since December 14) today or not? I quickly dismissed that thought 'cause I've not been out of the house for days - just too darn cold - and it would be nice to see quilting friends, perhaps make a quick trip to Barnes & Noble on the way home - or even better, have lunch at Nordstrom.

Mulling those options, I decided Yes! I'm going! and proceeded with MSQT. About an hour later, Norman, announces  a winter weather advisory for the afternoon, starting in the area from where I'd be driving home and schools were closing 2-hours early, some systems totally cancelled, etc...and then I got a text from my friends in Columbia, also advising me to stay home...between  Norman and them, I was easily persuaded. And home I've stayed!

I'm not sure the snowy, wintry, sleety weather has quite arrived: I see two salt tricks parked on the street - they've been there all afternoon, waiting... Bottom line: wintry weather is still expected to impact the evening rush hour; areas north and west are experiencing a "mixed bag of precip..." I have had a pleasant afternoon reading; reviewing and purging  papers; and reorganizing my planner, a bit.  

Seemed strange  not to blog over the weekend... I found myself  thinking about what I'd write and then, I remembered, no need to go down that path...I didn't always come to my computer with a topic in mind. We had a quiet weekend, watched  a few football games and several  TCM movies...

So now, at 5:10 pm, I'll finish my paper purge  and planner projects and settle in soon for dinner and a quiet evening. Hope your weather's been good...

Cheers~

 

 

Ode to the heavens ~ a Haiku ...

 

The sky is a study

Perhaps a harbinger of 

Hurricane Irma?

 

Only time will tell...

 

Gathering assistance and hope...

 

 

4:15 pm

Norman just announced he was going out for a walk...and then he stuck his nose out the door and promptly decided well, maybe not! It has been raining all day...I thought we were experiencing the path of Harvey...but no, this is a nor'easter ...the remnants of Harvey will be making their way our way come Fri/Sat.

The rain has dissipated a bit...the cat decided her meal was long past due and that she could brave the wet grass and falling rain to eat...so Norman's now on his way out to feed her!

Anheuser-Busch is sending H2O in cans to the flood ravaged- area.  My quilting group is gathering blankets and quilts: new and/or slightly worn  to send to  shelters in El Paso, TX.  Perhaps your local Red Cross chapter and/or churches are organizing a similar drive. With 30% or more of the area under water, I'm sure there is much that is needed. To add injury to insult, I heard on the TV that many Latinos are not going to shelters for fear that they will be arrested and deported. 

There is of course no climate change...tell that to the people of  Bangladesh and Texas, for starters.

We have to persevere.

 

 

 

hurricanes...

 

 Hurricane Harvey brings back memories of my experiences with Mother Nature's wrath: 

My first up close and personal encounter was in in 1983, on a cruise ship, headed for the Bahamas. Our second night out at sea, we were near Cape Hatteras when the sea became very rough and the ship really rocked. Standing, walking, lying down was a real feat so we went to the ship's movie theater and watched "Ghostbusters"... that helped keep our mind off the storm. Fortunately, that was the worst of the storm. (I think the storm was Hurricane Juan - sticks in my mind  - but  even tho' I did a search I'm not certain...)

Second, Hurricane Isabel, in September 2003. This storm really came inland; fortunately, we'd been given ample warning and enough time to prepare. We had plenty of water and canned goods - including a hand operated can opener - and batteries and flashlights...which was all good  - we were without electricity for four days! There was a McDonald's about two miles away that had a generator so we drove there to get  our morning coffee and an Egg McMuffin. Of course, anything that was in our freezer had to be thrown o-u-t!

Hurricane Katrina, 2005 hit very close to home. I remember watching television and being plain appalled  - I couldn't believe my eyes and of course, we all know the devastation and lives lost in her wake. This storm was very personal for my sister and me: our father came from New Orleans and we had relatives who still lived there. Fortunately, all but one was able to leave the area and therefore, escape the storm's brunt and devastation. My father's younger brother was 99  and in a nursing home that had to evacuate and relocate the residents. My uncle was very frail and the move was more than he could take and he died. Had he lived, he would've been 100 on Christmas Day of that year. His sister, who was a bit older, was also alive and she couldn't be told about her brother's death for quite a while. She died about a year later.

 

Only time will tell about Harvey's impact. I send prayers to the people in Texas and neighboring states.

 

 

and the rains, they came...

 

Yesterday - Thursday afternoon- as I was leaving Columbia, having spent a lovely afternoon with my Thurs afternoon stitching friends, I  saw the rainbow...clearly there was a storm brewing... I turned to my right and 

captured this very interesting photo of the sky. My errands done , I jumped in my car and headed home. I suspected a storm was a brewin' but I also figured I'd probably get home before the rains came. At least, that's what I hoped. Time, about 5 pm. 

What I hadn't anticipated : a major crawl on Route 29 for about 15 miles! And then, all traffic was diverted! Fortunately, I had Olive Kitteridge  on my phone so I listened to a substantial chunk of the book. About  7 PM,  I'd made it to the last stretch of home and the heavens finally let loose! I was near IKEA (approx 7 miles from home). I turned into the parking lot to wait out the storm. It poured!  I called Norman to update my status; he laughed because he too was out, trapped at a Home Depot, seeking shelter. He'd gone to the grocery store  - within walking distance from home  - and too got caught in the deluge. About 7:45 pm, he called to say he was home...and I was just about to call him to say I'd pick him up as I was, at last, just blocks away.

Today Friday has been sunny and a tad warm. Yesterday, just a little drama to an otherwise quiet day. We're both grateful that we were no more worse for the wear beyond being detained a bit!

Cheers~

 

 

on saturday...

 

 

 This morning I told my friend Pat that I was just not movin' with steam in all 4 cylinders ... It's been so hot that all my  get up and go just plain disappeared. She totally agreed that she, too,  was feeling the same way. We decided the word of the day was lethargic. We chatted a bit longer and then, I  had to hang up because the battery on my landline phone was about to die (don't know what's with phones and us around here these days). I thought about reading for awhile but decided I'd sew instead...I've been "making" (actually thinking and messing around with pieces of fabric) a tea wallet - I've made at least a dozen plus and  shared them here ...Today, for some reason, I have just not been able to get the durn thing made...something is just not clicking...so, after spending the afternoon and ending it in total frustration, I  have given up...for today! Tomorrow, I'll have a try at it, again; eventually, it'll click. Funny, I wrote in this blog post, April 22, just three months ago : "tea wallets; stitching this time around a breeze!" I have no idea what changed from then to now!

Around 3 PM, I wrote this haiku,  just before we had quite a weather event:

Storm's a brewin...

And the rains, they came. Cooler?

Only time will tell.

I'm happy to report that the answer is yes!  A cool 76 degrees F !

And now, I think I'll go read!

Cheers~

 

more rare june days...

 

                    Monday's weather was near perfect...so I grabbed my journal, iPhone and headed to the pool at our neighborhood regional park. T'was a pleasant walk and even more pleasant once  I arrived - about 2 pm, spending a lovely 45 minutes or so watching the kids play and jotting an occasional thought or word in my journal...

Today, Tuesday, dawned even cooler - 69 degrees; I grabbed a few index cards, a pen and walked to Zeke's - local indie coffee shop - for a brief sit out on the Avenue, taking in the sights and the weather. Moms with babes in arms and toddlers in tow, make quick stops for a cuppa java...this little girl very much amused me, in her jammies ...Christmas, yet! If you look closely, you can see an angel right about her elbow.Wonder what she has in that big bag...

I''m not sure where the day has gone since I returned home - or what I've done.  But, that's OK...it's summer and the living is easy. 

Cheers~

a bit of color...

 

Sharing just a few of the colors I saw on today's walk, inspired by a neighborhood kid's chalk drawing on the sidewalk. I rather like his (yes, it's a boy's) composition.

I stepped out about 4 pm  this afternoon for a nice leisurely walk, dramatically interrupted about 2/3rds of the way due to a slight but persistent cloud burst - just enough to leave droplets on my glasses,  a quick zip up of my jacket and step-up of my steps. Glad I had a hood on my top plus my Women's March hat with me.

Just before I sat down to pen this post, I managed to smash my middle and ring fingers on my right hand in a drawer - I was so stunned I couldn't even pull my hand or the drawer out for about 10 seconds there. Just a little minor throbbing - enough to let me know that I have a hand. I think I'll be OK.*

The incident reminded me of the time, about 14 years ago when I caught my right hand in the fold of a garage door. Talk about pain!  After about 15 seconds - if that long -  I managed to kick my brain in gear and let the garage door down a bit, just enough to extricate my fingers. Fortunately I sustained no damage but believe you me, I never.ever.touched that garage door again. And I am so glad that our garage door is automatic.

*Yep, I'll be OK...and pay more attention to what I'm doing. Take care and 

Cheers~

 

 

 

ten on tuesday | beautiful things ...

 

 

 tues 14 march 1:57 pm

so, the snow arrived - all 2-3 inches along with icy rain on top...as I pen this post, we're having another round of flurries, nothing major, just enough weather to slow down the day: Metro rail on an abbreviated schedule; area schools - including local universities and  doctor's appointments - as in mine, cancelled...my doctor's office was good enough to call me tho' to reschedule; local and federal workers on a start the workday delay , etc...I made chicken soup this morning so it's ready for an early supper and perhaps I'll mix up a bit o' cornbread (aka as Jiffy muffin mix) for the occasion.

this morning, because journal club was cancelled one Friday, we had our first makeup session - 30 minutes of "morning pages" or free write. Morning pages are the invention of Julia Cameron and one's supposed to write just  three pages, whatever comes to mind and eventually, discard. No rereading, editing, saving---just writing. I'm not sure what the payoff is tho' some people claim a major life turn around as a result...I always journal in the morning; periodically I will incorporate the practice of morning pages into my morning routine - as an add on, not a replacement and then, I get tired and drop it...

I've mentioned before that my morning routine also includes reading a daily reflection; currently I'm reading both Marianne Williams' A Year of Miracles and Mark Nepo's Book of Awakening. Not everyday does either or both  "fill my cup" so to speak so I've added a third: A Mindful Morning. Yesterday's prompt: notice ten beautiful things in 24 hours yielded this:

1. Silence of the morning, dark early;
2. Beauty of the tulips as they are fading yet still add color, joy and peace in contrast to the
3. Vibrancy of the bright yellow daffodills as they open to welcome the day and bring joy to my sights...
4. Sweetness of the last few drops of my first cuppa tea...
5. Spectacular sunrise with jet contrails in vivid technicolor...
6. Favorite lunch at Nordstrom; jazz playing in background.
7. Quilt group's weekly Monday meeting: butterfly fabric and Baltimore Album quilts in the making...NTS: make Marilyn a "card."
8. Values.com Monday quote: "Beauty is being the best  possible version of yourself." ~ Audrey Hepburn
9. Glass of wine with left-over shrimp salad dinnertime snack last night...
10. Today(Tues)  is my mother's birth date and were she alive, she would be standing at the window- her elbows folded on the sill, her chin resting in her hands - looking out  at the quiet beginning to nor'easter storm Stella---just snow, always pretty.

T'is a beautiful moment and a comforting memory.