I have been writing...just not here

As a female of the species, I excel at multitasking. Well, I did in my earlier life. Now I single-task in a multiple fashion. Moving from one thing to another, my mind plans the next foray with aplomb except for the occasional brain fade when I get to the next room and forget why I went there.

Single mindedness comes with age - at least I assume it does. It has for me. I savor more, do things completely so I don't have to come back to them and I ignore an overburdened closet simply by closing the door. Hey, it is important to pick your battles.

Art and writing are more important to me than dust. Lately, though, construction has planted plenty of the stuff on every surface of the house so I am back to multitasking. I write a bit and swipe a cloth over the desk. I sweep out the studio in prep for the summer, taking paints from their winter storage out to their regular home, while simultaneously swiping a counter top with a cloth as I pass by. I clean plaster dust and wood splinters from the inside of the washing machine (I mean, really guys?) and then do the wash.

The new bathroom is coming along nicely. I will be happy when we can stop going down two flights of stairs to use the other bathroom. It will be a twofold luxury when it is done in a few weeks.

I've kept up with my journal, adding watercolors to the pages when a light touch is needed and pictures of trips and construction progress to illustrate the dialog of my days. I spent four nights at an inn in Gloucester a few weeks ago, painting at a beach I found in Manchester-by-the-Sea on the first day. The air was cool - mid to high 50's - but the sun made it feel warmer. I sketched the scene, adding notes to my drawing so I'd remember the color of the water and the sweep of the clouds. The next day I set up my easel, digging the legs into the soft sand and, stretching a bungee cord over the tray, anchoring it with two big milk bottles filled with water. I accepted its quirky tilt - uneven ground being what it is.

Life is uneven. The axis tilts this way and that and I find my footing either by digging in and firmly planting my thoughts or flowing with it. Both work to different degrees. It would be plenty boring if there was a sameness to every day. I know people with lives like that. I guess they must like it that way because they continue to do it year in and year out.

I prefer edges that shift and change like the waves on the shore. When I was in Gloucester, the beach was different each morning. The clear, rocky beach of that first afternoon became riddled with seaweed on the second day. The sea pulled some of it out with the next tide so the arrangement was different - undulating strips of seaweed hiding sea glass treasures in with the pebbles underneath their mounds. I accepted the changes with a sense of excitement and discovery looking forward to rounding the corner to find out what I would see.

When things are serene, I find untold pleasure in my own discoveries. A good book, rhythmic stitches woven into the shawl I am working on and the plunge and pull of silk thread through a needlepoint canvas. Good conversation with friends culminating in laughter and hugs. I am grounded by my pleasures. They help me meet my challenges with a bit more grace.

Knit Two, Purl Two

I like how quickly doll clothes knit up.  I can do fancy cables and rolled collars and the garment is still finished in less time than it takes to rake the yard.  I made this adorable poncho and cable scarf for my granddaughter's new Christmas doll from the leftover yarn I bought in Lucca, Italy for her baby sweater five years ago.

I always loved the continuity of using remnants from handmade garments for family gifts.  The first quilt I made - for my son when he was a baby - included bright colors from other projects and the 'filling' is not batting, but a well worn baby blanket from my early childhood. Subsequent quilts included leftover scraps from hand sewn garments my mother made for me over the my childhood. I can remember the meticulous planning she did to get the plaid pattern to go evenly across the arms and bodice of a favorite red plaid dress with white collar and cuffs in junior high school.  I remember, too, snagging the pocket on a trash can while running to my next class and being worried she'd be mad after all the work she put into it.  The stiff patch material she ironed onto the inside of the dress held the tear closed so it couldn't be seen from the outside and all was well again.

A New Pair of Socks

My first hand-knitted socks!

With tiny needles in hand and soft merino wool flecked with the sparkle of sunlight on sea waves, I knit my first pair of socks. With every challenging step - heel flap - turning the heel - reducing stitches to make the toe, I was thrilled when I crossed each hurdle.

After I finished the first sock, I couldn't resist slipping my foot into it while I was knitting the second. Unlike any purchased sock I have ever worn - it fit perfectly. A cable runs subtly up the back - a secret pleasure since it is fairly well hidden by my slacks. I like that about them.

I finished the second sock while I was in France. For just being completed, they are very well traveled.

Stretching

Now that summer is showing its glowing face around here, I am stretched like a cat soaking in the warm rays. Stretching time, stretching limbs, stretching my mind. I feel it in every fiber.

I finished my granddaughter's raspberry sweater a few weeks ago and have started an orange (by emphatic request) cardigan for my grandson. He absolutely loves orange. It is an easy pattern - perfect for my infrequent sitting spells. I'll look thru my books tonight to find a nice stitch to do across the chest to relieve all that stockinette-plainness.

I helped pick out a screen door for my studio for my birthday last week so have been priming and painting trim so we can install it. All windows have screens to keep the bugs away - now the door will be protected to keep them from feasting on me while I paint. I am so excited! Simple pleasures...

So, now that the sun shines and the boat needs scrubbed and plants fertilized and brush cleared and and and...I am stretching time as well as my limbs.

While the want-to-do-list grows, I was reminded this morning about the pleasure of being still. When I left for work, I glanced towards the beach and a heron was standing sedately near the dock. Never in a hurry, herons always prompt me to skid to a stop and drink in the wonders around me. Here. Now.

Sometimes I need the reminder that I don't have to do everything - often considerable pleasure is derived from just moving slowly thru the water.

Pick Up Sticks

Just put the fringe on a thick seed stitch scarf a few days ago and started on a luscious raspberry Berroco Comfort raglan sweater for my granddaughter. Apparently she has found her baby sweater and is wearing it again. She's five.

I love knitting raglan sweaters. They work up so neatly and have only two underarm seams to sew. Gotta love that! The one I am doing now is in Debbie Macomber's Twenty Wishes pattern book. Found a great pattern for a zip cardigan for her brother in my stash (since I want to have one for each of them). Knobby denim colored yarn. This will test my zipper sewing abilities again - or not. Maybe he would never zip it up at all and can just run around with sweater tails flapping in the breeze. I'll give him pockets instead - boys need pockets.

I am debating on either picking up sticks in the yard or heading up to the seashore this weekend. It is supposed to be in the high 70's - bliss.

The sticks will still be there on Monday and it is staying light later in the evening. I am sure it is better as an after-work chore. Maybe I'll do some tonight.