The Third Act

Monday afternoon

It truly feels like autumn has arrived.  It's barely 60f out right now.  The sky is mostly cloudy.  There's a crisp-ish breeze at times.  I love it!  

Today I prepped the area where more firewood will be delivered and stacked tomorrow.  Sadly, it won't be seasoned.  But there's a little bit of very seasoned wood left from previous years.  Hopefully I can use both together effectively.  So far the stove has been lit just twice.  More to come!

After our walk today I decided to make chai, with cardamom and fresh ginger.  I haven't made this in, well, I don't know how long.  Just right for the day.  Avery, on the hand, is settling in for a nap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love glass!

I've been shooting some vintage items to put on my Etsy.  It's such fun to look at what has been done with glass over the, well, centuries in many cases (not what I have to offer, though!).  These few pieces aren't up yet...I didn't intend to get them all listed today.  But I've been working with the photos.  I love the detail, the light and clarity.

 

 

 

 

rainy Saturday

Yesterday was beautiful and I spent all of it in the garden.  Today it's gray and wet, so it's been an inside day.  I've made a little more progress with photographing  items for my Etsy...and packing them away.  I really would like my dining room table back.  Perhaps tomorrow I'll get these new listings up.  Stay tuned!

The camellias are blooming this time of year.  The pink edged ones out back are surprisingly fragrant.  Less fragrant, or more subtly so, are the tea camellia blossoms in the front.  They're both rather ephemeral, not lasting long after opening.  It's always struck me odd how certain plants actually bloom in autumn.  Speaking of which, the first saffron crocus opened a couple days ago!  I'll be on the lookout for more so as to gather and dry the stamens.

 

 

 

 

autumn light

It's really the best....

 

 

 

autumn light

It's really the best....

 

 

 

boring and tiring day

It's true, I hadn't intended on getting a new phone today.  Sure, I knew it was to happen in the foreseeable future, but was trying to put it off.  When I went to Wyoming the phone battery started getting worse and worse at holding a charge.  It didn't improve when I got back.  The phone is four or five years old...an iPhone8.  

So...first I go in and talk to a very helpful individual about getting a new battery.  When all was said and done, it really made more sense to get a new device.  However, we couldn't get the process started because I didn't remember my AppleID.  I had to come back home and go over there again (about a 25 minute drive).  Once there, it just felt like it took a really....long...time.  Kinda boring, but necessary and I'm grateful to be set up with what I need.

Back home and testing out the new camera.  In truth, I got an SE and it feels exactly like my 8 (although I know it has a better processor).  The camera seems about the same, which is actually okay too.  

So, there you are...a synopsis of my rather boring yet tiring day.

 

 

 

 

What a pair...

Skeley and Jadwiga (the witch)...they stay only viewable to my eyes most of the year.  But by October, they're ready to sit out front and get some fresh air!  It's good for them to keep track of things in the neighborhood.

In other news...  I finally finished listing the first group of vintage items on Etsy.  I'm having fun coming up with stories for the item details.  In fact, I wouldn't mind if folks just came to the shop for the stories (short though they may be).  At some point I'll figure out Baba Yaga "thoughts" on the artwork in the shop too.  But one thing at a time.

It's been a gorgeous fall day...low 70's and clear.

 

 

 

 

the way back machine

I've been going through my iPhoto archives.  The effort to truly cull is so far past due that it seems like dust.  But...out of necessity really...I'm back at it.

It's been interesting to see the period of time right around when the end of my marriage was ramping up (2012-2014). I was mainly taking pics with my phone using the Hipstamatic app.  I know I was doing more than that, some film here and there, because it shows up in my Flickr camera roll.  But in my digital archive, yeah, it's mostly iPhone pics.

I suppose this stands to reason, in a way.  That was a particularly excruciating and confusing period of life.  I'm actually surprised that I just kept on keeping on with creative stuff.  In the photos there's the usual garden, self portraiture, food, bay, etc. etc. content.  I didn't take too many pictures of the low points.  But boy, I can still feel them when I look at some of the images.  And I suppose I can take some comfort in coming out the other side.  I mean, everyone has stuff and in the grand scheme of things I was pretty fortunate.  Still, it's all relative I suppose.

 

 

 

 

down the rabbit hole

I started photographing items for Etsy.  I soon realized that there's a whole process for listing vintage items.  And boy does that send me down a rabbit hole trying to find the right info.  Sometimes there just is no info on certain pieces.  

So anyway...now it's 5pm and time for dinner.  I haven't even downloaded the images that I took this afternoon.

So...here are a couple more Holga images...

 

 

 

Thursday

It was a physical labor sort of day.  The new lawn mower arrived yesterday and I can't believe how good it feels to get the yards cut.  As I've aged it's not fancy things I want to be able to purchase.  I have no bucket list to speak of.  Just give me the means to get the things I need to be able to take care of my life.  Tools, appliances, home repairs...those are my current desires!

I have to say though, the yard work was something I really needed today.  There's a lot of stuff swirling in my head right now...lots of concerns about the future.  I recognize that swirl as part of the anxiety response...the need to be hyper vigilant, trying to keep track of everything all at once.  But it feels yuck!  Over the years with the help of therapy and medication, I don't seem to succumb to the undertow but instead am able to navigate my way through.  And work...real world muscle is remarkably therapeutic.  It gives the mind time to rest so that returning to the looming list isn't so scary.  (I think I've written about this before...sorry for the redundancy!)

Tomorrow I'm going to choose a few vintage items to list on Etsy.  I may start with the teapots, although those have the highest value and may be the least likely to sell quickly (well, what sells quickly there?).  Still, they're items that I can photograph easily and well.  I'm even thinking of adding a bonus packet of Baba Yaga's Blend black tea (something I came up with years ago).  Doing these little things helps me be less afraid.  I think it helps with the notion of being able to take care of myself.