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!
by Kat | Jul 3, 2023 | General, Welcome
I drifted into a summer-nap under the hot shade of July, serenaded by a cicada lullaby, to drowsy-warm dreams of distant thunder. ― Terri Guillemets
Oh July… you begin the challenges of my year… you and August are my least favorite months. Your heat and humidity are not my jam. So I am going to take with me some of the joy I found in my week of #NOMO (Necessity of Missing Out) and bring more of that to you, July!
Things that will be part of July… Unraveled Wednesday… because I like the mid-week check in with all of you… but I am not committing to more posts than that… and that feels very good… a bit of a July nap or two!
- I have some painting I want to dabble in.
- I have that skirt to knit! I am almost done with the lace, but this second knit is going at a much slower pace that the first one!
- I have some spinning I want to do. I am not Tour de Fleecing, but rather spinning for the pure enjoyment of it!
- Finally, a bit of mapping out of some sewing I want to do! I have been toying for eons with ideas for my Year of Stitching samplers… and I have finally figured out what they need. Stay tuned, I hope to get them well under way this month!
It is a good list… and it leaves me lots of room for the joy of #NOMO!
So welcome to a quieter July! See you all back here on Wednesday!
by Kat | Jun 5, 2023 | General, Welcome
Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly.
― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love Sonnets
Welcome June!
Although it is so hard to leave May… I am here to embrace every single moment of June… slowly.
I want to delight in the tiny coleus, impatiens, and tomatoes I planted last month… as they grow by leaps and bounds this month!
I want to find a way to love the hot days as much as I do the cooler ones.
I want to finish my vacation socks and make some serious headway on my Ooh La La sweater!
And I want to spin more… I have spent some time at my wheel recently and it is the best calming activity!
But! In case you think it is all sunshine and roses over here… June does have a downfall…sigh.
Allergies and insomnia… June is the worst month for my allergies and bad allergies makes for poor sleep. Five days in and allergies are bad… sleep is worse… but it all started after Memorial Day… so maybe the early start might mean an early finish? I am hoping!
What about you? What are you hoping for this month?
P.S. For the inquiring spinning mind, the fiber up top is Inglenook Fibers Freshwater Pearls on Targhee… and it is a delight to spin!
by Kat | Apr 3, 2023 | General, Welcome
April is the kindest month. April gets you out of your head and out working in the garden.
– Marty Rubin
Hello April!
I am so very happy that you are here and it would be nice if you just amble slowly along… key word being slowly!
This month I have some things on my “To Do” list:
- Sew up a couple of Toaster Sweatshirts. I have the pattern all traced off, and pinned to one of the fabrics! I need to get that cut out and pin out and cut the second so I can do some Assembly Line Sewing!!
- I need to finish up my handspun sweater!! And once I have the Pi Socks done that is moving to the top of my list!
- I start PT next week and I am planning on having “homework” which I will be faithful about doing every day! And I am just not even thinking about the Graston Scraping part… ha!
- I got some new “trekking shoes” that I want to break in a bit before we head to Erie at the end of this month. Walking has been an “iffy” proposition thanks to my damned hip, but I am going to swap out my “regular Sherman walk” shoes with the new shoes and hope that short daily walks will break them in … enough!
- Weeding… yes, the weeds are growing, so I need to spend some time in the garden beds or I will never catch up! But… being outdoors just is the perfect April thing!
- It is National Poetry Month and I picked up a couple of poetry books from the library… I am spending the month reading the poetry of Wisława Szymborska… which will be the perfect thing for the month!
There you have it… my ambitious plans for April. What about you? What are you looking forward to this month?
