Grateful

It’s been a crazy year with so much change. And I’ll admit, I’m still in the process of coping with it all. Now, I have more good days than not good days. That’s progress. And, I am also very aware of how fortunate I am to be here on this earth, in my home with people I love and who love me. 

My family and friends and supporters are true treasures, whether they are two or four footed. Whether it’s sitting quietly reading, taking a trip to the craft store, helping me show my work,  walking in the park or giving me a giggle, I’m grateful for them everyday. 

Grateful for mud and yarn.

Putting my hands in soft, squishy, clay is one of the most therapeutic things I can do. It calms my swirling mind. It soothes my spirit. And it gives me something to do that I can show and sell. 

Being creative and productive is essential to my mind and body. I don’t take it for granted that I have the ability and opportunity to make things in my studio. Even if a piece takes a wrong turn, I see it as a challenge to turn it around again. Or, and this is hard for me, let it be what it wants to be instead of what I thought it would be. 

Crochet is another therapy for me. I take it out in the evening while we’re watching TV and just let my hands get into the rhythm of stitching. I’ve made so many blankets lately, everyone in the family has one (whether they wanted one or not). Then i saw all these knitted pumpkins in stores and decided to try my hand on a crochet pumpkin with leftover yarn. It didn’t turn out too bad. Now, I’m moving on to making a few hats for the new grand baby. After that? Who knows? 

Grateful for home. 

My husband and I designed and built our home many decades ago. It was a stretch for us, but we did it. Since then, we’ve repainted, reroofed, redone many of the spaces. Even though the  flood caused a major upset and change, I’m grateful we’re still here. 

Outside this year, we were challenged by the city and neighbors to fix the sidewalk broken by a huge Dedora Cedar tree. The city demanded we fix the sidewalk. And our neighbors demanded we cut down the tree because they hated the needles falling on their cars. I’m grateful for the expert arborists who helped us figure out how to fix the sidewalk and trim the tree. So it still stands tall and beautiful. 

Grateful. Yes, I am.  

For love and support and family and friends.

For my mud and clay lovers and gallery owners.

For my home and garden and trees. 

For all of us on this planet who move together to make this a better world. 

Clearing and Experimenting

 

Taking the summer off isn’t all play and that’s a good thing for me. With all the life changes flowing my way, having things to do and feeling productive is grounding. The key to doing this without stressing myself out is space and pace. 

Clay, crochet and cleaning are on my summertime agenda. But instead of pushing and striving and making lists, I’m leaning into them softly. 

New clay. 

I wanted to try out some new clay options for small to medium sculptures. The first option did work but I wasn’t a fan of working with it. Then I got a sample of some new clay from another clay artist to try. This was a porcelain sculpture clay. It’s white, smooth and lovely.

It rolled out well. I liked working with it and the small figures seem to dry well. I didn’t have enough clay to try a larger piece, so I’m not sure how it would work out. But it was fun to play with a new clay. And to fire my kiln with some new landscape and sculpture pieces. 

Calming with crochet. 

Ok, I think I’m finally hitting that stage: Gram is making baby blankets. I taught myself to crochet about 20 years ago and focused on Freeform crochet, lacy angora scarves and felting. It’s always been fun, creative and calming. 

Now with 3 grandchildren and a need to ease my stress, I’ve been making throws and crib blankets from craft store yarn. It’s easy. The super soft yarn is not expensive. And there’s no complicated pattern, just chain and crochet until it’s as big as I want it to be.  

One slat at a time.

When we built our home 30 years ago, we had 9 custom wood blinds installed in the downstairs. It was a big expense then and an even bigger expense now. Before the downstairs flood, I looked into updating and replacing the blinds. But because of our back door configuration, the more up-to-date 2” blinds wouldn’t work. 

After all the demolition and reconstruction, the original wood blinds were filthy. There was only one way to get them clean: swifter dusters and Murphy’s Oil Soap. After dusting, I wiped across and under each and every slat. The kitchen sink was the biggest challenge. The only way to do it was to climb onto the counter and maneuver myself behind the sink. 

Releasing the old dust of the past, cleared my mind,

Crochet softened my heart, 

And new clay opened up places for new ideas. 

Isn’t that what Summer is for?