Brain Down Time…

Hey. It’s a Monday I can handle. I would’ve liked to sleep in more, but I’d have to live further in the boonies, away from gardeners and their blowing devices, plus no daylight to make animals think it’s feeding time. Not happening. Plus I shouldn’t go to sleep so late, but I was contemplating a drawing in progress, and I needed brain down time, and then the ideas popped into my head, but then it was like midnight and I knew Simba would be boofing early in the morning and the boychild would show up from work and there’s just no point in trying to sleep in. Ah well. My art brain is a child sometimes. I wanna stay up! So I’m a little tired this morning. What’s new.

So in quilt news, I finished the binding and sleeves on the Supremes quilt…

Then I needed to add some writing and embroidery (not a lot), so I did that Saturday. Then emailed the prospective buyer. Yes, y’all…this beauty has sold already. I’m always incredibly appreciative of those who support me in all the ways (two friends mailed me those stick-on thimbles to save my finger from holes while stitching the binding on). As I get closer and closer to retirement from teaching, which pays the bills, I do hope I can continue to make the big and beautiful quilts (as well as smaller ones), and selling them does help. This one took 181 hours to make. I’ve been working on it since July 13. At some point this week, I’ll make a post about all the bits and thoughts, best I can.

Saturday night, I started drawing the next quilt. I have a deadline. I’m trying to stay ‘simple’ (this is incredibly difficult for me). I had a drawing in my head, so I started on that, but Nova was insistent.

Really insistent…

Persistent even.

At some point, I just paused and petted her a lot and eventually she had enough attention and left, and I finished drawing. I have no picture of that, of course. And then yesterday, I enlarged the drawing and stared at it for about 30 minutes and then started adding stuff. But then stalled, so then I sat down and scrolled through stupid social media for a while as I watched Madam Secretary (still bingewatching that) and then the idea slammed me upside the head for how to complete it. I taped a bunch of paper on the side and bottom of what I’d drawn (Keep It Simple! um. Maybe not). And then realized it was almost midnight. Aargh. It’s OK. It’s in my head. I can do it. But to really meet the deadline with this one, I need to do more than an hour a night this week. So that’s my goal. Along with everything else. Put in some serious time every day. I can do that. Around cooking and going to family gatherings and dropping people at the airport and walking TWO dogs (the puppy who is no longer really a puppy is coming to stay for 8 days).

I’ve also been stitching down wool bits on something I can’t even show you…but it’s a brain filler. Lets me relax and see progress.

Saturday, we hiked…

My favorite tree fungi (above, not below).

Weird weather flow over the weekend. Today we are back to blue skies.

Girlchild is wandering through Scotland on her way to the wedding that the boychild and ex will be attending as well (hence my puppy visit)…

I’m totally jealous. I made one attempt to go through Scotland (by myself, with very little money), couldn’t understand anyone, got driven nuts by American tourists, and gave up after a week in Edinburgh. I regret that now, but know that I would be much more confident traveling now (it’s also easier with the internet etc.). Maybe someday. Anyway, so the whole family will be in the UK for Thanksgiving except for me, the Man, and the parental units. It’s OK…they’ll all be here for Xmas. I’ll be making a little Tday feast on Friday for us four. Not sure how many dogs will be attending that…at least two.

I also am trying to clean up and sort the other drawer of fabric that Kitten slept in for about 6 months. Serious fur incursions. I’m sorting, dehairing, washing when necessary. Prepping some to be donated. I have donations for SJSA if they need them and The Navajo Quilt Project. My quilt guild also needs donations. So my goal for this week is to get some stuff boxed up and mailed out. There are some reuse stores locally, but they want pictures and then to approve stuff, and that sounds like more than I can deal with at the moment. So here’s the blue drawer sort in progress…

Along with the perpetrator of furry deposits. Sigh. She loves to lie in fabric drawers, that’s for sure. Annoying.

I forgot to show the SAQA auction quilt I bought this year. This is by Jane Haworth…

To add to the collection…this is most of them, although there are 7 in other places around the house…

I usually buy one a year, but two years ago, I bought two because I had sold something and the dinosaur called out to me. They fit really well in the wall space above my windows. And I get to see them all the time. And you can hear the gardeners in the background. Not mine.

Simba in a mood…

OK. So let’s focus on today. I need to finish the drawing, number it, and start tracing. I also need to put some stuff in a safe place because that not-puppy is coming today and she destroys toys and other things. I need to go get my knees X-rayed for future cortisone shots (that I can’t get until February). I need to shower and eat breakfast before all that. I also need to do some grading today, get it over with so it doesn’t loom over me all week. Tomorrow, I’ll do some lesson planning. I think. I do have a vet appointment tomorrow for Simba’s eye again. He’s going to need surgery on a growth that is just getting bigger. And dental stuff for me on Wednesday. Fun times. Plus lots of dog walks and book reading. That’s the plan anyway. Make art, read, sleep, garden…damn, I need to do some of that too. OK. Whatever it is, I do need to get my act in gear and get started.