by Kat | Apr 1, 2024 | General, Welcome
April is a reminder that life is a beautiful, ever-renewing cycle.— E.E. Cummings
I woke this morning to the sound of raindrops on the windows… but it was not the windy, cold rain of March, it was a gentle, warm rain that smelled like spring! I welcomed this gentle rain with open arms… my garden needs the water! The birds loved it as well! The birdsong was a joyous cacophony! There were a plethora of robins in the yards we ambled past… all intent on finding the fattest worm!
A part of me is sort of shocked at turning the page to April this morning… how is this possible? The days are just flying by at a pace I’d like to slow down a bit!
The well eaten crocus bulbs I planted last fall had a lesson for me yesterday… there was a bloom! A good reminder that no matter how many times you are cut down to the ground… don’t give up! Yes, it is a small flower… small but so beautiful. And the bee who came while I took the photo also thought this small blossom had much to offer!
Gotta love a bee photo bombing!
I do have the tiniest bit of a list for April…
- I know there will still be plenty of “sweater days” this month, but I am going to start the Great Sweater Wash this month! Starting with the ‘wooliest’ sweaters… You know which ones! Those wintry sweaters that will be too warm even for a chilly April day! Washing one or two sweaters at a time will be much easier than doing the lot all at once!
- Pull out my gardening notes from last year to refresh my memory about what worked and what did not work in my patio containers!
- Get April’s stitching set up pronto!! (I did not have this on any list last month… sigh) AND set up May’s stitching before May 1st!
- Finally… a bit of a deep clean of the cold cellar… it has some things that moved in there when we moved in 10+ years ago, but have not seen the light of day since then! I think it is safe to say they are not needed and so they need to go!
A short list that will take some determination to finish!
What about you? What do you hope to accomplish this month!
by Kat | Mar 1, 2024 | General, Welcome
March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine. ― L.M. Montgomery
L.M. Montgomery’s quote above seems quite perfect for this morning… everything is covered in a frost and my breath is visible as I walk. But the skies are clear, the sun rose with a gorgeous rosy golden glow… and the temperature is supposed to rise into the 50’s today!
February roared to a close this week, literally… raging winds that blew out the mild weather we had and reminded me that, yes… it is still winter! Still. Sigh.
But March brings the “light at the end of the tunnel” closer and closer. My morning walks are full of light… beautiful light. Well at least for a few more days until we turn the clocks ahead on the 10th, then I will have lighter nighttime walks as I wait for the morning light to catch up again.
I had such great hopes for a spring with a plethora of blooming daffodils, crocus, alliums, and tulips but most of those hopes have been dashed… or rather eaten. Yes, every last crocus that had come up has been eaten entirely… every.last.one. And the few tulips that had begun to sprout have been shredded by the damned squirrels. And whatever was eating those tender allium shoots… keeps eating them as they valiantly continue to grow. I planted an abundance (30 or so) of “daffodils for naturalizing” and not a single one has sprouted. The only daffodils that have grown are the ones I planted near the living room window. So March Disappointment is absolutely A. Thing.
The snowdrops though… they started blooming last month and they are still going strong! One day last month, I sat in the sunshine on the porch step soaking in the warmth and watched bees dancing around those tender blooms. So maybe I just need to order a LOT more snowdrop bulbs!!
I have thought about the things I want to accomplish this month… but I don’t really have any spectacular things to put on a list.
I *need* to pull out a few “warm weather” things in my closet (a few are pulled out but maybe a few more… I really don’t like the “mixed wardrobe closet” at all. It just feels like chaos… because it is a bit chaotic!)
I have an eye doctor appointment this month and a meeting with the audiologist about hearing aids.
So there you have my March… I am hopeful that my disappointments will wane and that there will be good things that overtake them!
What about you? What do you hope your March holds?
** Photo by Polina Kovaleva
by Kat | Dec 1, 2023 | General, Welcome
December’s wintery breath is already clouding the pond, frosting the pane, obscuring summer’s memory. ― John Geddes
Hello dear December… I feel both that it took you no time and a long time to arrive. And I find that is much of what you are about… holding two opposing thoughts together at the same time.
Cold is synonymous with December and those balmy summer nights seem like another lifetime ago. I do love the hushed stillness of a dark winter night. And though Sherman’s evening walk might be colder… the delight of all the twinkling lights of December in the neighbors yards makes our evening stroll one I very much look forward to! Granted, the noisy whir of the motors powering the “blow up” decorations overpowers the quiet, I still appreciate the neighborly efforts that make for a very festive walk.
But I do have some things that I both need and want to accomplish this month:
- Knit a few more wee Gnome Ornaments.They are a fun and easy knit… so their completion is not daunting and entirely doable this month.
- My December Mystery Gnome… the last clue always comes on the 24th… and I look forward to the way Sarah helps me ease toward that day!
- Swatch for a vest for Steve. I found a pattern which might be the backwards way to go about this… but he is so picky about clothes that finding one he likes was the biggest hurdle. I have the yarn, now I just need to “make it work”… which I am confident I can as long as I am close!
- Test drive a new schedule for The Making of the Sourdough Bread… I am testing out the new schedule this weekend, so hopefully my “time” math works for a Sunday morning bake!
- Paint… my class has started and I have my first lesson “masked” and ready to go. It is the ONLY thing on my list today! Yes, I am nervous! Haha
And I think that is MORE than enough for any December! What about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this month?
Have a great weekend, everyone! See you all back here on Monday!
**Photo by Jonathan Borba
by Kat | Sep 5, 2023 | General, Welcome
September is the other January. — Gretchen Rubin
This quote resonated with me as I turned the calendar to a new month. I am very much loving the idea of beginning again… with so many things. I spent the summer pared back, minimal, letting go of so many things… and now I stand on the precipice of a new month and I have the urge to add some things back in. Really badly.
But…
There is a part of me that is loving the more minimalistic me, so while the urge to add back is overwhelming, I am going to be very selective as to what gets added back in! I am going to control the urge to just add it all back by using my September list to keep my focus.
- Get back to my calendar… yes, I have ignored any form of calendar since June. I know. What was I thinking? But all good things must come to an end… and the days of calendar free living are over. I began yesterday by noting some things to complete this week. Not many, but enough to make me pay attention to my calendar and how I am doing this week!
- Re-order my “desk” space … and.start.using.it!! The summer of no calendar, no desk, and some days… no laptop need to end. I will help this by making my early morning space welcoming. I have a new poetry book to entice me to sit in the early morning darkness. I also have a new journal that is waiting to be written in!
- Sewing. Yes, I have some sewing to do for fall. I am hoping that the weather helps entice me to do this by providing some rainy days… or some cooler weather! Which is not this week… we are full on Summer in temperature and humidity this week! Steve thinks that once this week is over that the warm days will be less frequent but I am not so sure of that because…
- …on warmer days, I am still committed to doing a fair bit of afternoon porch stitching. My gosh… that is the one hold-over from summer that I am going to cling to until it is too cold!
- Painting…. I have done almost none all summer. (mainly because I have not wanted to be indoors) But I miss it… so much. I have some things to practice on and I am going to ease myself back in to that habit.
- And finally…blogging… yes, I am feeling the urge to blog a bit more, perhaps on my pre-break schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday… stay tuned!
And that, my friends, is a very full list of things to fill my September days! What about you? What are you hoping to fill your days with?
See you all back here tomorrow with some unraveling!
Photo by Marta Wave
by Kat | Aug 7, 2023 | General, Welcome
August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.
― Sylvia Plath
I am hopeful for some August rain…we need it in Western PA. August… my least favorite month of the summer. My garden is… less than lovely at this point. It is a sad and forlorn place however, my butterfly bush has just begun to put on a show and I am grateful for the blooms!
But still… August means the end of so many things. The daylight is receding, the garden gets worse not better, and cooler nights begin to creep in.
So how to I set myself on the path to enjoying August? That is my challenge for this month and I have a plan that I think will help me!
- Morning coffee and meditation on the porch will continue throughout the month. I love starting my day this way and I need to soak up as much of the outside that I can!
- I am going to add in an afternoon porch time with some hand stitching – either appliqué squares or temperature circles… it will be a nice break from my usual routine.
- I am going to get some spring bulbs ordered so I can plant them later this year. I am excited about this but don’t really have any idea where to look (online) so if you all have suggestions… I’d love it! Leave your suggestions in the comments (and thank you!)
- And finally… one generally sucky project, but one that is in dire need of completion. I am going to sort though the plastic “leftover” containers that have overtaken an entire cupboard. Out go the things that don’t have lids and lids that don’t have bottoms! And perhaps a bit of reordering will move them back to their corner of a drawer so I can get a cupboard back!
So welcome August, let’s do this!
