Happy Color

I love color. These are Swish worsted and Swish tonal worsted yarns from Knit Picks. They make me happy when I look at them. I've started an afghan using the pattern on Attic24. I love the way she puts colors together.

This is the start of mine. It's actually progressed since this, but I haven't taken a picture of it. It'll probably go in the sun room, which is a mess right now so there won't be any pictures of that any time soon.

Yesterday I finished an interesting but grueling exercise from Lesson 7 of How To Think Side Ways. All of her writing instruction are fantastic and this one is no exception, but that doesn't mean it's easy. I haven't finished all the exercises from Lesson 7, just the word exercise that took me more than a week. I'm looking forward to working on the rest but I've scheduled aside Thursdays for blogging and oh, several other things. 

I was rather anxious when I got up this morning. Sometimes it just happens that way without any specific reason. I prayed, of course, and started playing one of those entrainment albums. This one's called Music To Promote Stress Relief by Dr. Lee Bartel and John Herberman. Sorry I don't have a link.The first track has these beats that are like listening to someone's heart beat in a slow, even fashion. Normally I don't like new age music, but this is for a specific purpose and somehow I don't mind that as much.

They say petting a cat helps to lower one's blood pressure and relieve anxiety. (I can't give a resource for this information. It's just 'they.' Someone must have said it sometime or else how would I have heard somewhere?)  Pitti-Sing is a real lap cat and it's hard to get pictures of her as a general rule. As soon as I snapped this one she got up, and I didn't even use a flash. She just doesn't like the camera, what can I say?

I'm Here

It's been a long time since I posted. I was sicker than usual, probably a virus, but I guess I'm getting better because I'm starting to look around and want to clean up and organize the mess that collected when I was in bed. Cleaning isn't my most favorite thing in the world to do, but I love organizing. I love when everything is clean and put into it's place (and everything has a place to be put). Then things change and you have to reorganize, but I kind of like that. It gives me a fresh, renewed feeling. Obviously I'm not a person with kids. If I had to clean and reorganize every ten seconds just to keep the junk from rising to the ceiling, I'm sure I'd get pretty tired of it. I prefer the organizing to the cleaning anyway.

It's a very gray day. It doesn't get very rainy here. It just gets gray and dark and the pressure feels like the sky in falling in, but the clouds only spit a little on days like this.

Yum-Yum is curled up on my lap. That's a comforting feeling. She doesn't usually cuddle up like this.

Now I have one Yum-Yum at my side and Pitti-Sing purring in my lap. And the battery on my camera just died. I'm in warm, furry heaven and when they get up the moment will be gone and forgotten. They usually have separate territory and lie in different spots. To have the two of them like this is a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of thing.

My Little Helper

Origami can be very relaxing...

First Foray into Papercuts

Our Back Garden

This was our back garden two months ago. I've been so sick in bed that I was unable to post. Spring is really my favorite time of year when I've lived in a places where the winter is barren.

Untitled Poem

Swish,

     Swish

Long strands of ginger

like the pennant

of a

knight 

on the rise

of battle

Bright, round eye

intent on 

          pigeon

Crouching -- blinds for cover

Glass insuperable

"Curses!"

I found a letter I wrote to myself some while ago. Its words have been helpful to me, and though I'm too self-conscious to show share all of it with you, perhaps a portion will help you too.

You need to be kinder to yourself. It's okay to rest. It's okay to stop. You're still that special you when you're standing still.

You're not to call yourself stupid when you make a mistake or say that you hate yourself. 

I want you to add fun things on your list of things to do and not just chores.


I give you permission to say 'I've reached my limit,' and stop for a rest.


I want you to forget the bad things that have happened in the past, and I give you permission to enjoy the moment, right now. 


I give you permission to take things slowly and do things on your own time schedule and not what schedule someone else things things should be done.