Happy June!

Well, May has come and gone. June is here. Happy June!

Thank you for coming along with me on the adventures I’ve talked about here. I like talking. I like listening more. Thank you to those who have commented. You know who you are.

I've learned a lot about myself writing for this blog. I've learned that while I enjoy working with thread; "hear" the patterns in music; and know that I have a good idea combining the two means of expression; I'm not a visual person per se. I express myself with sounds much better. Words come more difficulty for me. Pictures take even more of an effort. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on this whole Picotsnkeys venture. But realizing that has helped me fine-tune my efforts and redirect my energies.

So, what have I been doing the last few weeks?

Packing and unpacking

Saying goodbye

 

Saying hello


Fine tuning the angel pattern (sorry, no new scan)

I still need to purchase an organ to teach/play. I still need to finish unpacking. I still need to finish the angel pattern write up. I still need to do lots and lots of important tasks. Including writing down more of what is important.

 

Now, where is that to-do list.......

Shawl angel coming along

I finished the head, body and wings of the angel.

 

Shawl angel head, body and wings

If my math is correct, when I work it in size 80 thread, it will be a little wider than the labels that are sewn onto each shawl and blanket and lap robe and scarf. It will be a tad longer I think. I’m not sure because I decided not to work on the skirt yesterday. I chose to work on tacking down the Blue version of the Saint-Saens. That task won out over sorting for the move as I decided that I didn’t want to move with the doily still in the hoop. I think with 2-3 more days it should be ready to go to the framers. Whew!!!

 

Back to my goals

Well, it’s been awhile. My bad. I’m very embarrassed!

 My excuse is I’m moving….soon….to Monterey/Carmel area. That means we have to sell this house. Now, we’ve only been in this house for 15+ years. So, there’s not too much archeology required. But, we’ve raised our children here. So, there’s all the “stuff” associated with that and the memories. ‘nuff said.

 What have I been tatting you ask?

 Well, I’m still bouncing around ideas for an angel for the Prayer Shawl Ministry. I’m getting closer. I’d like to have a skirt that seems to swirl, so I’ve been looking for geometric patterns that are dense. I found this heart pattern:

Morales heart

 Lilly Morales reworked an older pattern. I kinda reworked her pattern. I’d like to adapt it for the skirt of the angel. Along with keeping up with Jane’s TIAS 2015 and continuing the flag. More on those later.

laughter helps with focus

I’ve been focused lately. I’ve really tried hard to stick to my goals and accomplish what’s important. So far, I’m succeeding. That’s why there’s not much to post here. Most of my energy has been directed towards keeping house, keeping the yard, volunteering in music, and volunteering in stitches. I like the sound of that last bit. I like to keep a humorous outlook on life. Laughter is far better than tears to me.

So, what have I accomplished? Besides a bit of laughter? Our house has been “inspected” by ye ole ‘ouse ‘spector. He didn’t find much to document. We’ve kept it up fairly well.

Our persimmon tree is picked as well as a human on a ladder can; the rest can feed the birds. The hummers like the fruit quite a lot.

Our choir is rehearsed for Lessons and Carols. No, I don’t think I’ll have a B flat, but then again, we’ll be singing in the evening.

Our stitchers have 15 canvases prepped for stitching except for mounting them on a frame. We are still attracting new volunteers to the group. And we have a good start on finished canvases ready for the upholstery shop. Just a few more to go and we’ll have the minimum they asked for with each round.  

I had an “aha” regarding the chair canvases and our impending move: I don’t have to be the one in the driver’s seat for timing the move. I can respond to what comes our way with grace and rolled up sleeves. We thought the chair project would be a 20 year project. Well, we’re half way done after just 2 years. We would like to move within 5 years. We’ll see what happens!

A long weekend

We’re back. We took a short jaunt to the coast last weekend. We stayed at the beautiful Asilomar Conference Center. I really enjoyed sitting in the Julia Morgan buildings, walking on the beach, waking up to the sound of the ocean……well, you get the drift. And it’s part of our wonderful park system. We’re so spoiled!

Yes, the trip did confirm that we will be moving there. How soon depends on a lot of factors that I’m not the driving force behind. So, I must be patient. That’s hard for me. I’ve never been one to sit and do nothing. After all, one can tat just about anywhere!

I do ask that you keep in mind the family of 3 young people. They were swept out while exploring the rocks along the beach. Two of the swimmers were successfully rescued, but one search was called off after the overnight search did not locate him. The ocean is powerful. The ocean is beautiful. For those who choose to explore, the experience can alter your life forever. Please join me in respecting the ocean.