Woke up this morning to the fox chasing the chickens. Instinctually, I screamed and the fox dropped it and ran away as did the half dead chicken. Under my car. Now what? I have chosen the route of 'have a cup of coffee and maybe the problem will resolve itself.' Can you tell I'm not particularly attached to these chickens, though I love going out in the morning and saying "Good morning ladies" and them responding with their little gurgling noises. Now one is gurgling...yuk.

OH YEAH!

NOW I remember....Bruce and I finally made it up past 8:30 last night, determined to stay up and watch Grey's Anatomy just so we could be part of the conversation that goes on all around us. And this is what we saw,



which was fine when I was 9 and tv had just been invented and we had to deal with that horrible vertical rolling and snow because it was all new and not very refined, like us. (It wasn't even this good last night) But now? In this technology age? We have Direct Tv and as soon as the leaves fall off one particular tree, we'll get local channels crystal clear, as they were meant to be viewed. Until then, bed at 8.

Fall is REALLY Here:

And we all survived the weekend, although I made Sarah and Andy pose for a picture in case he decides not to come back. Just kidding; of course he'll be back. Look how happy he is! Kids, rain, cold, all balanced with good comfort food, lots of wine and a fire in the fireplace which we kept going for 2 days.



today is the first day I've had real shoes and real socks on, having left my sandals in the closet this morning. If you look closely at my worktable you can catch a glimpse of my project for the day. As soon as I mail these out to my special little friends, I'll post a better picture.



As much as I hate to see summer go, there's a certain 'nesting' that happens at this time of year. Get the wood in. Vegetables out of the garden. Pumpkins on the outside steps. Pretty soon a bittersweet wreath on the door. Leaves.

Company

Not much is going on here this weekend...hah!! I spent all day yesterday cleaning in preparation for my kids and grandkids. I just feel if there is less clutter at the beginning of the visit, maybe things won't seem so disorganized when the house if full of people. It always feels full and disorganized no matter what and I love it! But everything looks shiny and the way you imagine your house should look if it were going to be in a magazine. Really, I cleaned for the 'new boyfriend'. He's not that new (7 or 8 months) but this is the first time he'll be thrown into perpetual motion in the daniels small house with 2 little kids, at least one dog and rain predicted. If he can survive this, he'll be great for Sarah! We'll see.

Work in Progress

This is the piece I've been working on these days. It's what I consider mixed media...paint on fabric as well as photographs printed directly onto fabric as well as beads and fibers and some embroidery. I'm working on the reflections in the lower part right now and not having all that much fun. The pieces are all too pointy and I really don't like that big empty space in the middle. But I'll get it. Eventually.

Sailing, sort of...

What a gorgeous weekend it was..70's and 80's in Maine in September, how lucky were we! And to top it off we went sailing with friends on their boat. Two days. On the water. Sleeping under the stars. Good food and lots of wine. Lots of laughing. Though 'sailing' is actually a misnomer because there wasn't even a whisper of wind. So, we motored. This is what I saw:



And early in the morning with coffee:



And this is what they saw:



...pre-shorts and sleeveless shirt.

After it got dark, we went for a little dinghy ride to shore. Have you ever seen phosphorescence? Where the water lights up with millions of tiny green gems and looks like jewels below the surface? The bow waves were glowing as well as the 20 foot wake from the motor. Magical! The first time I saw it a few years ago I had to get bruce out of the tent just to have someone to share it with.

With winter on it's way, these little gems need to be stored away for future use, like during a week of below zero days. Like Frederick, I was a little mouse poet storing away the tidbits. My kids loved this book when they were young so if you haven't read it to yours, it's a keeper.



Later today I'll post some pictures in progress of my newest piece that I got lots of good critique on from my Frayed Edges group.

Frayed Edges and more birthday!

I might be the only person that can milk a birthday for all it's worth...maybe as you get older the celebrating just continues! Frayed Edges today and all my friends made a delicious lunch complete with DECADENT CHOCOLATE CAKE that Hannah made (no picture, sorry), Sarah made delicious chicken salad with some sort of vinaigrette dressing, warm scones, and marinated cucumbers from Kate's garden. YUM! And gifts. more gifts.



...a container of sea glass soaps that look just like pieces of sea glass from Kate, along with the bottle full of flowers that you can't see, but the bottle was precious to Kate and she parted with it just for me. I know that feeling, and it means all the more to me. A vinegar jar. It's the simple things...some embellishments from Sarah,




along with this very tall, very beautiful, bookmark which is two sided making it difficult to choose which side to view. Hannah made the little hanging beside the bookmark and what you can't see is the word PEACE (appropriate for today) done in block letters and sewn on.



And Deborah sent this beautiful package with some of her hand dyed fabric and a postcard and some little alphabet letters I've already used. There's nothing like gifts from friends.

Oh yeah. Our meeting. We're in the beginning stages of developing a group exhibit for 2007. We'll be exhibiting at one venue, one large room. There's a lot to this planning stage...5 people with great ideas coming up with one pared down, smoothed out, concrete plan. A joint effort at cohesion. We can do it.

Cake and Thoughts on Life

And now, something much happier, just one more birthday picture...not that I'm trying to drag this birthday celebration out. This is what greeted me when I got to work yesterday morning:



Anyone who knows me knows how perfect this cake is, ocean all over the top and sides and the color of sea blues and greens. Shells good enough to eat. Made by my new and very talented workmate, Brenda. Living in Maine means the ocean is not more than an hour away for me. We live on the lake, but it's the ocean that gives me strength. I think it's the tides and how they move in and out and how alive it all is. Perfect cake.

I've been catching up on some blogging and the best thing I found this morning was Deborahs new website. If you haven't seen it yet, please check it out and if you're lucky enough to live near Lewisville, TX take one of her workshops for me. I love what she's doing and her enthusiasm for all things art and family. When I was her age I wanted SO MUCH to be really good at one thing and I chose quilting. That was 26 years ago (oh my goodness!!). I wanted to do all the things she's doing. Teach. Be really good at it. I found a wonderful little quilt shop in Hallowell that had just opened and asked for a job. The woman, Deana, who turned out to be a mentor and friend to me, couldn't afford to pay me so I volunteered for two afternoons a week. It helped both of us, giving me all the stimulation and validation I needed, and giving her some much needed time off once in a while. The shop closed long ago and Durango, CO was lucky enough to get Deana, and I've moved on. I no longer have aspirations of wanting to teach and no longer have the drive to "be the best". Entering contests has little interest, though sometimes I like the thought of the challenge. I just like to feast my eyes on fabric. Touch it. Make it work for me. No pressure. Just have a good time creating. And making people happy by giving them a little piece of me.

Heavy Hearts

Funeral. A dear friend too young to suddenly die. Tomorrow I will be able to think of other things again. In the meanwhile, these few words keep running through my head from the beginning of a blessing I know:

Life is short.
And we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us.....