summer wrap-up

Sunday was still hot enough, so I threw off all other plans and headed for Jan's pool, expecting it to be crowded. Silly me. Even as I drove there, the sky started closing in, but as soon as I got into the water, a window of blue kept the scene idyllic. After an hour or so, a few hardy souls joined us, and the clouds got serious.

Then the skies opened up and it poured. The chilly rain made the pool water feel like a spa, and we were already wet, so no one got out and we lurked around like gators in a swamp, noses, and eyes poking out of the water.

The only drawback was that it was surprisingly noisy. I didn't take this picture but it looked just like this. It was an exhilarating experience.

After a while, thunder let us know it was time to haul ass.

wrappings

My arms are tired from wrapping things.
Does anyone else remember that intoxicating fragrance by Clinique, Wrappings? It was always so unexpected.

Writing about how something smells is very hard, but satisfying work if you do it right.  Comparisons are just not enough.  I need to find a sample of this one to refresh my memory.

I went outside to get a better look at these threads, confirm the colors in natural light, and wound up messing around with the houseplants. These are already spoken for, but there are plenty more available. (And some free Swedish Ivy if you live within a drive!)

catching up

Getting up at 5am to get Charlie up, fed and off to school each day is reaping some unexpected rewards - beyond getting to spend time with him each morning.

He's been having trouble adjusting to the regimented world of Pre-K and some days, he just can't hack it and winds up needing a caretaker for the day.

Rather than drive all the way home after dropping him off, I've been hanging out at the nearest library working on the book pretty consistently. Whether I'm working on mine or someone else's, it's getting done. But why can't libraries open before 10am?  I chill in the parking lot, and as you can see, by nine, I'm not alone.

There's a fair number of what seem to be homeschool groups - three to five kids and one adult - working quietly, (away from the computers) no cell phones in sight. It's encouraging.

Here are about half of my houseplants enjoying their last weeks outdoors. I'm going to do some serious pruning and repotting as soon as hurricane Florence drags her hem through the area next weekend. If anyone local is interested in cuttings, let me know.










Mrs. Wilson, the Swedish Ivy is totally off the chain.

Friday brought joy. As a reward for a week of good behavior, Charlie got to bring the class pet, Pete, home with him for the weekend. There were adventures that I'm sure I'll hear all about in the morning.

R&R eludes me

Four days free from the day job, but real life goes on. I got a lot of revising done, lost myself in the new season of Ozark and am presently having a delicious wallow with Bruce Springsteen's autobiography, "Born to Run". I don't want to think about politics at this moment, but wouldn't THAT be something?

He's a consummate entertainer in any medium. I was enjoying his accounts of his early childhood in Freehold, NJ and some pop culture reference made me check on how old the Boss actually is. Just three weeks older than me! 

We drank the same Tang, shoplifted the same 45's, and watched Ed Sullivan together, a scant one-hundred miles apart. For fun, I wrote him (anonymously) into my novel. You would if you could.

While soaking up the blood and chaos of "Ozark" I finished what will probably be the last batch of Dirty Threads until next year - unless I can figure out a way to make this very messy magic in my kitchen.

ps. Did I tell you how much I love seeing other artists put my stuff to wonderful use?  Thank you, Liz.

Blue

To liven things up..

stretching summer

I've always labored on Labor Day.

If you had a corporate job that paid double time on federal holidays, who wouldn't work if they had the chance.

As luck and the calendar would have it, this year, as of midnight tonight, I'm off the day job until Thursday!

Summer is hanging on by a thread, weatherwise. There are plenty of things hanging around the studio needed color and the mailman just came through with the order I placed with ProChem.

There will be color, but the mood is hushed. melancholy. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

New office space

My corner office at the library. Must remember to bring thick socks and a sweatshirt next time. If I had one of those mister things, I could have made snow!

Edited three scenes for me and two for a friend. Temporary insanity allowed me to order new dyes from ProChem.  Electric blue, turquoise, Sun & Golden yellows, Pagoda & Mixing Red, a serious black and some strangeness called red-purple.

Also brought home the Springsteen bio,  "Born to Run" and "Tibetan Peach Pie" by Tom Robbins.

Abiding

Hanging out at the library a few minutes from the school, in case my co-pirate needs a pep talk. Whatever it takes, cause all I have is time and love.

Taking a breath

Sun day.

Braves on the radio, cold Corona, some cherries.
Jim would approve.

Nesting updated!

Sweetie hasn't come in here in weeks. She must have heard me ripping and snipping. Also, it's 70ish and breezy out so I've opened all the windows for a badly needed change of atmosphere. AC is all well and good when it's hot and humid, but after a while, it feels like there's no oxygen in the air.

Here, I divvied up the last dyefest, and this pile is what I've kept for myself. Unless we get some old-fashioned Indian summer, this feels like the last one until 2019.

Are you feeling fall like I am, or are we all just praying for change?

SOLD OUT! special bundles to sell, each with twelve pieces from this group. Vivid and very textured (not background or base pieces, I think)

 The pieces are on the large side eight, ten, even twelve inches on a side. You cut them up if you want smaller. I can't bring myself to do it. Yet.
Cotton sateen, several weights of linen, gauze, broadcloth, juicy stuff.

These Perseid bundles include these, a handful of smaller scrapes and some thread. $35.00 includes postage inside the US. Email me if you are interested

PS. Son just told me that we are in for a return to hot weather in the upcoming week. I'll try to wring one more dyefest from 2018, so stand by.

Running out of Summer

Although it's perfectly hot out and the water refreshing, a gang of cicadas are tuning up their September song.

Charlie Monday

Charlie turned four on August 1 and pre-K started 8/6. It was no surprise that he wasn't thrilled with going from being the center of the known universe to just one more Cog in the Great Wheel. It's been rough on everyone. Hardest on him.

It's been a rough ride.

Days that started out well crashed and burned.

Today he had his first Great Monday with 8 out of 9 Smileys on his chart.

I think he's getting it!

Sense riot

Prepping for my first smudge. Short on sage, I've fluffled this bundle with lavender, and something sharp smelling that might be thyme. I forget what I planted.

worlds inside

Grace, you are so right. Each piece a world you can get lost in.

Each piece has a history. A life of service and travel.

Outcomes

The Perseid meteor showers

Are here this weekend. It was overcast last night, but these pieces were out on the deck soaking it all up.

Favorite old blouse reborn!!

the dog days

Don't know what's possessed me. Looking around at the websites of other artists?  The never-ending heat and humidity of a Georgia August?

No matter, the sauce awaits and color and texture will happen this weekend.

The pace is everything.

early returns

my bedroom curtains getting a jolt.

wonder

When I cleaned up the studio the other day I had a tiny piece of mind on the lookout for the most recent travelers - pieces that had been on display and came home. I know I picked them up from Ginny. Then what?

Bringing groceries in this morning a fat bundle wrapped in a white sheet deep in the trunk of my car eased my mind. Colin brought it in for me later. Everyone is here.

I look at these things and remember what I was thinking about when I made them. The newest ones anyway.  These are details from Demons Dance

unfiltered

.

This was waiting for me Saturday morning, the first day without rain in a week.

I was pruney before I finished cleaning it up and stayed another hour and change.

Colin took this outside his theater last night about  8

History

August 4, 2012

Humidity

has no place to go.  Time, though, seems to have no trouble floating away.

Charlie turned four on 8/1. Where did that chunk of time fly to?

Our last picnic before school starts