The Third Act

a little bit of snow

We're still very much in a snow drought...for the past few years.  It was nice to get a little more coverage this time, compared to the event in December.  While I long for more, I'm not unhappy that I don't have to shovel snow.  It's not that I typically mind that activity, it's just that I'm dealing with a tweaked back which is no fun.  I don't like taking pain relievers, but I had to relent today.  Hopefully I'll get some relief.  If I sit and don't move, it's not bad...but I don't want to have to just sit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

winter

I'm not minding the winter so far this year.  It's not exactly like there has been brutal weather or anything.  Still, sometimes the darkness can be a drag.  But I'm okay with it all.

Maybe part of the reason for this is because time just zips by.  Wasn't it just last week I was in Wyoming?  Oh...no...that was California, which feels like it was yesterday.  I'm convinced the perception of time gets more wonky as I age.  I read a theory about this once...but that was a long time ago and I don't remember the details.

 

 

 

 

Friday

I had the wonderful opportunity (privilege, honor...) to help out my friend Dawn Flores with the finishing finishing tasks on her Atonement flag quilt. Dawn is...awesome!  Artist, teacher, mentor, gardener, mother, wife, duck and chicken mom...and dear friend. I'm so happy that I first met Dawn while walking the neighborhood, when she was picking weed seeds, out front her house (for her Forest Project).  The rest is history, as they say.  As an artist, she inspires me.  And as a human too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pt. Richmond, California

Sometimes...just sometimes...the light and context are almost right and I get an image on Instax film that reminds me of my old Spectra with Polaroid...

 

 

 

It's just about a week ago I took this walk down around Pt. Richmond.  While it didn't feel like a whirlwind visit at the time, in hindsight it sure seems so.  Time flies and all that.  Winter green in California is pretty special...

 

 

back home

My trip to California was fabulous.  Much good visiting, good food and lots of love.  I love seeing how well my kids and their partners are doing.  There's so much I learn from them.

Unfortunately I've come home with a garden variety cold.  Although I sort of felt like doing nothing much today, I'm glad I took a different path.  Avery got a walk, I paid bills and went grocery shopping.  Now there's a pot of chicken soup cooking on the stove, with lots of garlic and ginger in it.  Some time spent with the next read on my list and an early-ish bed time will round out this day.  Hopefully it won't take too long for me to get up and moving on new projects.

...somewhere over the Midwest...

 

 

 

 

Birthday(s) trip…

Out in California for a few days, celebrating family birthdays.  Nice to be here.  I’ll bring back images to share! In the mean time…flying into the Bay Area last evening…

 

what'll it be?

I'm thinking about a 365(6) project for 2024.  Although the year has already started, typically I begin on my birthday, which is the 4th.  Last year I had a loose commitment to posting to my blog every day.  There were days when I didn't end up posting and I was okay with that.  This year, though, I'm just not sure what I want to do.  Having that daily commitment is a good thing.  And maybe it can be something that I don't necessarily share publicly.  Um...yeah...just realizing that makes it much more relaxed.

Obviously I've got various photographic practices.  Recently I've picked up stitching again as well as doing a writing course (which expands beyond the usual daily journaling).  There are brush pens as well.  Then there's the garden and cooking and, and.  

I've got a couple more days...hopefully I can hone in on something by then.  Or maybe not and that's okay too.

Here are a few little Instax pinholes (made with a modified Instax mini a friend gave me to use)...

 

 

 

 

it's the New Year and this is what I know...

...in no particular order...

We are safe, warm, fed, sheltered...and this is a blessing.  We are privileged. 

The dogs had a short walk around the block, Rocco in his coat, because it's a little chilly out.  I'm ready for more cold.

I'm excited to be traveling to California on my birthday later this week.  It'll be so fabulous to be with the family again and near the Pacific.

Also, on my birthday, I'll officially be a senior citizen (at least according to Medicare).  It's weird, you know...I mean, sometimes in my head I still feel like a 12 year old.  65?  Kinda blows my mind.

My dreams are so weird.  I can figure out why some stuff shows up, but the rest?  Never anything profound or prophetic...just plain bizarre.  That being said, it sure is amusing.

Dare I say (write, express?) publicly that it feels like my creativity is starting to bubble up again?  It's that little spark, maybe growing a bit brighter.  It's an energy that I can't quite explain.  "Keep it up" I tell myself.

The garden sleeps.  Later this month will be pruning time...then procuring wood chips...then procuring mushroom compost.  That flurry of activity is already anticipated, if only in my imagination.  Seeds...the catalogs await perusal.

I've put on weight.  The only thing I can figure is it's due to my anxiety meds, as nothing else has changed.  I watch my reactions, my feelings about this, not always liking what I see.

I actually rather love the start of a new year.  I love the winter, more so this year than I've remembered in the past.  Of course, the winter has only just begun.

The rest of this day will entail reading, cooking, stitching, maybe drawing.  I want to encourage the creative flow to move on into 2024 with me.

I wish you all a very good 2024!