Hello April

Spring has been slow to arrive here in the Village. Winter had a hold on us that she seemed unwilling to relinquish. Even now as I sit here in shorts, having enjoyed a margarita on the porch last night, I know there is another cold front headed our way and at some point I heard rumors of snow. I am ready to drag out the seasonal totes and strip the flannel sheets off the bed but we are in the frustrating in-between where both flip flops and wool hats are required.

It's been so long since I've spent time in this space that it's hard to know where to start. The days seem to get away from me, not for any one big reason, but for a hundred small ones. It's hard to fit it all in. Sometimes you have to choose blogging over doing your hair. Messy bun it is! (Sorry about that babe). The days mostly revolve around taking care of Clover who is finally starting to calm down a bit which we are eternally thankful for.

We've had some work done around the house but sadly it was of the very expensive but not pretty variety which seems to be the theme for us this past year. I am feeling suddenly impatient with the house and want to get things done. Like now. Or yesterday. We have been in this house 7 years this month. I find that impossible to believe. Do you as well? My Sweet Man says I have the 7 year itch and I think he's right. I am one of the most patient people you'll meet. I understand the value of not getting what you what when you want it and that the reward of waiting is that you will appreciate that thing even more. But, COME ON! I cannot handle our 1987 bathrooms and kitchen anymore! I'm so grateful for the kitchen changes we made but the plywood, unusable cabinets, 30+ year old linoleum floors and tile counters are making me crazy. I know part of this is also spring fever combined with the fact that I spent most of 2017 in a dazed cancer coma. I am now awake though and feeling better than I have in years and I just want to get all the stuff done! There are some changes in my future.

The girls are doing well, working hard and generally being good citizens. Lucky Emma just got back from Europe with a school group. We spent spring break here taking care of Clover after she got spayed. That's fine. I got to enjoy some French yogurt and Emmy brought me back macarons (and other treasured, including yarn!) so it's practically like I was in France. Plus we got a glimpse of life as empty nesters and we didn't hate it. Luckily for us we still really like each other!

So things here are good and pleasantly busy and not the kind of busy that has me melting down in overwhelm. We are preparing for Emma's belated birthday party tomorrow which is a Victorian garden party theme. I'm hoping the weather holds out but am too afraid to look at the forecast. Twelve girls crammed inside of our little house is a lot, but if necessary we will make it work!

I've not had nearly enough time for creating since Clover joined the family but I'm sneaking in bits here and there and excitedly dreaming about the return of my Sacred Days. I miss them terribly and realize I am a much more balanced person when I have them.

I hope you are all well and enjoying all the beauty that spring brings with it.



P.S. I would have loved to have edited these photos before posting but alas, the puppy calls and if I waited until I had time to edit them, we'd be saying Hello May!

Sunday Afternoon

Here in the studio I sit, the cat who could barely tolerate me for all of her life, pawing at my legs to move the laptop and let her up in it's stead. More than likely what she really wants is for me to move so she can have my spot. I would be embarrassed to admit to you how often her endeavor is successful. But not today. It is a Sunday afternoon, the tail end of a weekend that felt productive. I think I am finally, slowly, maybe finding my pace. I would be very happy to have that be the case.

Last week was a week of finishing things: a book, a magazine, a pair of socks, a shawl, the filing for the last 2+ years. It feels so good to finish but for some reason I don't seem to be very good at it. I am very good at starting. At doing. My finishing seems to take more concentration and effort than I can sustain, most days, but always gives me the best feelings of accomplishment.

Spring truly is settling in here in the Village. Those walks with Clover have become much more pleasant although there have been a few days when the downpours make it a challenge. I will actually miss walking her in the snow, though not single digit temperatures. Behind our cottage there is a public green space with a path that leads through woods, alongside a small river. It is one of the most peaceful places I've ever been. I'll be walking along the part of the path that is wide open, surrounded by tall grasses and flowers (or what last summer was tall grasses and flowers) and as soon as I walk under that canopy of trees, I feel a shift in myself, and then as I keep walking I get my first view of the water... JOY! A peace that can only be found for me, in nature perhaps.

See?

Zen, isn't it?

I'm looking forward to the week ahead. This weekend I got a head start which has me feeling ready to tackle some spring cleaning, sewing, casting on a new knitting project, getting moreyoga into my daily schedule and spending some quality time with a book.