Back.

I’m back. Ready for school? Well, no. But I’m going anyway. My blood sugar is trying to figure out what time zone I’m in. It’s massively confused. I fed it, hoping that would help. Really I should be wide awake right now, being three hours ahead, but I’m still recovering from traveling, I think. Why sitting on a plane is exhausting? No one knows. Actually, there are probably multiple scientific studies about it. None I have time to read right now!

I miss the girlchild already. I guess it’s easier when I don’t see her all the time to forget that I miss her. But I do. She’ll be home for a little while over Winter Break…but that’s always a crazy time of year. Then I’ll see her at graduation. Then who knows when…

So there’s that. My cat was very happy to see me…slept with me all night. Haven’t seen the dogs yet…that’ll be later today. I suspect the man who lives here also missed me…

So three days of school before a short break. I can handle that, right? I hope so.

So Monday, girlchild had classes almost all day, so I headed into Boston to go to the Gardner Museum…it had a small weaving exhibit, which included this piece by El Anatsui, and some other cool work as well.

I didn’t really know what to expect from the palace side of the museum. I only knew it because of the art that had been stolen. It was interesting…

I walked along the water for a bit afterwards. Honestly, it was a bit chilly out.

So I drove to Cambridge to this fabric/yarn/maker place. It was cool…

I didn’t buy much…just a few fabrics that caught my eye and a small embroidery pattern.

Life in a college apartment is always loud, it seems. Mine was not so…although the year I spent in Britain was a bit. I shared a floor with all guys, though, and they don’t impulse-cook like women do. I cut out quilt pieces while they made pumpkin vegan (were they?) chocolate chip cookies.

Tuesday, girlchild sacrificed two classes to take me to the New England Quilt Museum, where I got to see Salley Mavor’s work for the first time in person…plus Susan Carlson, who came to my guild, and a SAQA show. So that was cool.

We were both tired and it was pouring rain. So we went back to the apartment and I cut out pieces while she watched a French movie for class.

I would sit at the window and watch squirrels all day if I lived there.

Getting on the plane was a piece of cake…no line anywhere. And the plane was almost empty. I had a whole row and more. And when the in-flight entertainment wouldn’t work, they comped me internet, so I watched Stardust on Netflix while stitching. This was after reading most of a book.

I was missing the eyes on the owl (whoops) and the hut instructions were in Block 3, which I didn’t have (I hate it when she does that), so then I worked on the giraffe…

So I need to find this guy some eyes so I can finish him, and then find the Block 3 instructions so I can finish the hut.

Preferably before Saturday, when we drive to Arizona for an opening. I should be able to handle that.

So. School. Cutting more pieces out…hopefully getting them done and sorted before we leave Saturday, so I can iron a whole quilt together next week, AND quilt it and bind it (sounds impossible from here). But first kids. Yeah.

All Good Things Are Wild and Free*

Including Walden Pond on Veterans Day. Yes, I am still here in sunny Massachusetts. It’s OK…it won’t be sunny for long. And sunny means cold. Although pouring down rain is probably also cold in my perspective, being from sunny Southern California.

We went to Walden Pond yesterday, which was cool…although it’s a pretty big body of water for a pond in my mind. Like Thoreau, dude, this is a small lake…so now I’m wondering where the line is between a pond and a lake, and then I’m realizing I just taught landforms at school and I really should know the difference.

Meditative girlchild (or something else…possibly just tired)…

This was near the foundation of the tiny little house he lived in for 2 years. No way dude. Could not have done that.

Apparently all the fall color fell down about 4 days ago, but there was still some here.

Fall is remarkably pretty. Leaves and all.

There’s a replica of the tiny house. Seriously claustrophobic. Sure, you have nature outside and all, but in the middle of winter, I want a couch to loll about on and room for a big dog or two.

I guess they put the replica up by the visitor center so everyone can see it…rather than having to walk almost halfway around the pond. It probably doesn’t take long to walk around the pond. It’s only 1.7 miles. We might have gone that far. Hard to say. We went out and back.

After that, we watched the Brandeis men play soccer…’twas cold. I stitched. Just like in the old days. Sitting on bleachers, wrapped up in fleece, warm boots on, freezing my hands off. I gave up on stitching in the last 10 minutes…because my fingers were no longer working.

It was 33 degrees or so. And then I watched indoor soccer and stitched, although this is definitely a picture of the girlchild half dead on the floor while other people play soccer.

It was much warmer in there. And I can’t really explain this.

Otherwise, I’ve been grading some stuff on and off, reading a lot, hanging out, and trying not to think too hard about school…which is somewhat easy, because when I come back, I only have 3 days of teaching before break. Awesome stuff.

*Thoreau

Worth It…

I’m pretty sure these pictures are all gonna be backwards, but I can’t deal with that right now. I’ll see what I can do. Going from phone to computer and back is problematic. I’m posting from Boston. It’s 11 PM and one college kid is in bed while the other 4 are presumably at the same party, or maybe another one is on her way to a party? I don’t know. I opted out. My introvert self needed some quiet time and some mental space to catch up with some grading and then this and maybe some drawing, if I feel up to it. Or maybe I’ll just READ. I finished a whole book yesterday. It was exciting.

So first of all, this is Quilt+Resist at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois, which opened last night. You can see my anti-gun quilt Rooted in America in the far back.

Looks like an interesting show.

So yesterday, I flew across the country to visit the girlchild in her senior year at college in Boston. I haven’t been here since she moved in Freshman weekend, so it seemed time. Plus it was my Christmas gift from last year. I read a lot on the plane, but also watched a video or two and stitched for a while. It was a trouble-free flight, which was nice. She picked me up from the airport and I’m sleeping in her bed, which is comfortable, although she is still messy. I can’t really judge. I am too…messy, that is. This is the view from the bed…with the quilt my mom made her (and a few more, because shee-it, it’s cold here, and that radiator doesn’t come on).

Then this morning, I had persuaded her that it was OK to go to a job networking conference on conservation employment, which was at Harvard. I sat in Tatte, a cafe that is anathema to diabetics (holy crap, I forgot to post the food picture…damn…), but makes a decent cup of tea…or in my case, 4 cups of tea. Yeah. Well. I needed it, because 3-hour time difference not in my favor. I graded National Park assignments for a good three hours. Ugh. But it’s progress. And it was an interesting place in which to do it.

Floor. Feet.

Then I wandered all over Harvard looking for a bathroom, because 4 cups of tea and line at Tatte was horrific if you don’t have a penis (I don’t), and Harvard doesn’t seem to want the masses to pee. I don’t blame them, but eventually found the science center and a bathroom. Partay! Seriously. These things are important. Harvard, as always, is beautiful and old school America, plus it’s Fall and it stopped raining (did I mention last night’s rain? More than Southern California has had since last Winter, basically, in one night)…so it was really cold and beautiful, once the sun came out.

Then I tracked down girlchild’s friend in the Student Center (I just happened to be there eating my second bagel of the MONTH in the last two days, because Boston easy food is bagels and cream cheese…everything else was sugar)…and we went to the Museum of Fine Art, oh so fine, yes. I absolutely sucked at signs and figuring out who made what art, but this was cool…

And the one on the left is styrofoam cups.

Plus is that a Bernoulli? I know it’s a Van Gogh on the right…

And an exhibit in the contemporary section had this beautiful old weaving…

Here’s the contemporary part, although the video kept moving across these giant batting knots and it was making me ill. This piece is by Cecilia Vicuña; I know that. These knots hang from the ceiling. They are not small.

Girlchild twirling like a Fall leaf.

We were at a fundraiser after that, and then hanging out. I graded for a while. Two full assignments down so far. I know we have stuff planned for tomorrow, so I’m not planning on getting much done…although I need to send the parent email. Maybe I’ll do that tonight. I did get some pieces cut out for the new quilt last night…while we were watching (deep breaths) a Christmas movie. In November. And not even after Thanksgiving. OK. I can hang. There was wine. I’m going to attempt to stay up for another 30 minutes, maybe reading my book, maybe drawing, and then to sleep. Sleep is a good thing. My brain is confused by the times I eat and sleep right now, but I can handle that. It’s nice to be with her. Totally worth the chaos I will return to at school. I say that now! No, really. Worth it.

Getting on a Plane…

So I’m sitting squished in the airport, waiting to board to Boston. Seriously what is it with white males and their elbows. Stay on your side of the chair, man. They say 7 minutes, but I’m in the last group, so I’ll be sitting here a while. I’m OK with that, having finished the draft of the parent email I have to send on Sunday and managed some other shit that needed to be done for school.

I did finally finish the ironing of fabrics last night for the newest piece. Despite only 991 pieces (stop laughing), it took 16 1/2 hours to pick fabrics. I blame tiredness and the need to actually match real live colors of things, instead of the crazy shit I normally do.

The crazy box full of fabrics and everything piled up behind it. It didn’t take long to finish up.

153 fabrics total…quite a lot of natural colors going on in here.

I did actually start cutting stuff out. I’m feeling some time pressure on this deadline.

And I’m taking some of them with me. I left behind the really big pieces, but figured I might get some of these done while watching the girlchild do homework. I’m OK with that.

Group B is in line now…but I’m D…so it will be a while. Looking forward to posting from Boston…

You Would Share Your Last Jelly Bean*

Another shooting. Racists in government. Here in lovely East County, we elect a racist and indicted man who luckily can serve in prison, instead of using our brains. Deep breaths. There were wins. The shooting…none of it will stop unless we change something. Something about guns. And that doesn’t look promising at the moment.

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to visiting my girlchild this weekend. I haven’t seen much of her since last January. I basically will be following her around as she does all the shit she does, so that will be fine. I will rejoice in her presence. OK, that sounds goofy. I’ll enjoy being around her and maybe sleeping.

Unlikely to be sleeping.

Long day at work. This curriculum is painful. Sigh. Love piloting new curriculum. Not. I was the only 7th grade science teacher at my school during the last curriculum adoption, so I just picked the best book for my kids. Now it’s complicated by all the tech supports (or not, in this case). I wonder why they think middle-school kids don’t need visuals.

I came home and worked for a while. Always. Then ironed. Late. I’m close to done…but not done. This is all the plastic waste that’s in the water plumes…

It looks pretty benign there.

Puppy love. Much appreciated.

Calli is still really happy to have her toys back. She hasn’t even destroyed this one. I think it’s because she really loves it.

So the pile grows. I keep shoving them down in the box. That’s a lot.

I’m still debating taking them with me to cut out. I probably should. Traveling with this stuff is always nerve-wracking though. What if I lose part of it? I can’t put it in my checked bag…I’m totally paranoid they’ll all disappear. Can you imagine? I’ve only flown with pieces to cut out once. And I put them in my carry-on. But I know I’ll have a lot of waiting time, and yes, I could read a book and grade videos and embroider on my Sue Spargo piece. I’m going to do all those things. But it would be good to spend a few hours cutting these out too.

I think I just persuaded myself. Hopefully TSA won’t want an explanation. It’s OK…I’ll put the scissors in my checked bag. I’m not crazy.

This is all I have left to iron. Hopefully tonight?

It’s not a lot of pieces, but it’s a turtle and a squid and a sea otter and a jellyfish. Plus a boat and a net and some other fish. Not uncomplicated stuff. That’s why I quit at midnight.

Kitten was there too.

OK. To work. Another high-maintenance day. And school drama. Always. But leaving tomorrow.

*Zero 7, Somersault

‘Cause There’s Beauty in the Breakdown*

You’d think after a day off, I’d be all rested and stuff, but apparently not eating for the first 6 hours plus of the day throws my body off. It’s still complaining. It will get over it. I did manage 4 hours of ironing and a dog walk in between all the work stuff I did…I wrote sub plans for the two days I’ll be in Boston, I graded half of the videos I needed to watch, I set up at least one post for today, and I finished next week’s warmups (which I have to remember to post while I’m gone). A lot of remembering will need to happen while I’m gone. If I’m smart, I’m going to calendar that shit so I don’t forget. I can schedule things on Google Classroom, but only one class at a time, which is a pain. I might do that anyway, though, because I don’t trust the remembering part of my brain to do it on time. That would be disastrous. The sub would hate me.

So the ultrasound seemed to be a lot of Hold Your Breath and the nice radiology lady wishing my ribs were not where they actually were. I’m only a little bruised this morning. It’ll be fine. I figure they’ll try calling me at work tomorrow and we’ll play phone tag all day, and I won’t get a hold of the doctor until I’m boarding a plane. So there we are. The blood tests have ruled out some of the scarier diagnoses so far, so I’m still betting on an alien. It hurts in exactly the same place it did when I was really pregnant with the girlchild and she was using my organs as soccer balls. (No, I’m not pregnant. That’s not happening. But aliens might.). Anyway. Waiting sucks. As you all know.

So ironing…fitting the flesh pieces together. There isn’t much of this fabric left.

Then after the ultrasound and FOOD and water, we took the dogs out. It gets dark so early…

Where the sun is…that’s where Calli and the boychild are…beating me up the hill.

Calli’s tongue hanging out all over the place…

So we’re on the way back and there’s this hawk facing away from us, but I start talking to us and it turns its head all the way around to look at us. Piercingly. Thinking WTF is that woman doing.

Talking to you. That’s what I’m doing. Pretty bird. I don’t think I knew they could do that with their heads, although it makes sense.

I came back, did some work stuff, alphabetized purple and white pieces of paper so I could grade that section of the National Park Project more easily. Then made it back in here for another 2 hours of ironing. I finished all the innards (mostly) before the ultrasound…so then I started on the water plumes that are all over. Mostly I just did the water bits though. There were lots of them…

This is all the stuff that’s IN the water or ON the water (oil slick etc.) that I haven’t done. That’s tonight, I’m hoping, although it’s a lot to do in one night. Lots of fussy little details.

Plastic bottles and bags and fish nets and fishing boats and I think there’s a Humboldt squid in there as well. So that’s not a small amount of things that are left. I know I laid out all the pieces through number 991. I know I ironed down all the way through the 700s, and then a goodly chunk of the 800s and 900s were water, so they’re done. That leaves maybe 100 pieces? So maybe I can do it tonight.

Here’s the chaotic pile of stuff I worked on yesterday, plus everything that’s ready to be cut out.

Then I organized. Much better. Deep breath. I can find stuff again. More color now. You can almost see my left brain fighting with my right brain over this stuff. My left brain wants to go back and organize better by color. My right brain says there’s no point, because we’re going to pull a lot of them back out tonight and mess it up again.

Hi Kitten. You’re in my chair.

Like she cares.

Simba is with the boychild, at the ex’s house, so Satchemo was free to sleep in Simba’s bed. The crate is open…I try to remember to check for Satch before I put Simba in there at night…

Apparently it’s the best bed ever.

OK, high-maintenance school stuff today, waiting on results, tired already. Need to pack, need to finish prep for being gone, need to finish ironing.

*Frou Frou, Let Go

The Sun’s Zooming in*

Go vote. Now. Unless you’re like me and you already did…dropped the ballot envelope off at the library on Sunday. Everyone associated with my house has voted now. Good stuff. May the force be with us.

I’m at home. Grades are done, unless those two girls with non-working websites email me before I leave for the ultrasound. I did in fact get up early to eat and drink stuff before the deadline. We’ll see if it helps. I then tried to go back to sleep, but no. Dogs. Cats. Brain awake. So much for sleeping in. I suck at it.

I do still have grading to do…it never ends. I have to write sub plans for the days I’ll be in Boston. But what I really want to do, besides walk the dogs, is finish ironing.

I started late again last night, mostly because of grading. Ready to pick out flesh…I went through all 6 boxes of pink and finally found the right transition between 4 and 6 in the last bin.

I laid out all the fleshy pieces…

And I started ironing them down. It’s a weird puzzle I do…

How do I save the most fabric but fit all the pieces on there? Like that.

It was after midnight and I looked at the clock and thought, ugh. Gonna have to be up early. So I left the last two fabrics for this morning.

The box is getting fuller.

So that puts me in the 600s, but I have all the innards and hair to do. Mostly bones and cardiovascular stuff. So that’s also this morning. Or afternoon.

This was yesterday in class…

We’re piloting a new unit and it’s difficult. Mostly because I don’t have access to all the electronic stuff, and then my kids don’t either, plus I keep getting myself absent, and this curriculum is not at all friendly to guest teachers. Or to taking a rest from talking, for that matter. Lots of direct instruction.

Anyway. I’m going to shower and NOT eat or drink anything for a while and then go get this thing done so they can show me a picture of the alien in my gut. And then work and iron and all that stuff.

*The Clash, London Calling

Every Other Freckle*

That extra sleep was nice. I went to bed at midnight brain time, not Daylight Savings Time or un-Daylight Savings Time, I don’t even know which it is, so an hour early anyway, and then got woken up early by the man on his way to work, but that was OK, because it was actually later than when I usually get woken up. Tomorrow, I will have to get up early if I want to eat or drink anything before like 1:30 PM…I’m still debating that one. Fasting for 6 hours. Sigh. I’ll decide tonight, I guess.

My grades aren’t done. I did a lot. I got side-tracked by having to essentially write a script for my guest teacher for tomorrow. I have a script for the pilot, so I just structured it for them to hopefully be able to handle. We’ll see how that goes. The other two days I’m absent in the next week or so, I was able to make it kid-managed, so all the guest teacher has to do is make sure they’re on task. Tomorrow, they actually have to know how to teach on some level. Could be awful.

I think I’ll grade one more assignment tonight and then finish up in the morning. I just want to get as much done as possible before I go to Boston (and yes, I’m still hoping to go to Boston…I’m ignoring the alien in my gut as much as possible)…or I can grade stuff on the plane maybe. We’ll see. It’s hard to sit still for 6 hours, trapped, and not want to get work done, when you know if you don’t, you’re going to come back to it in huge stinky piles.

I’m in a new notebook for my weekly planner. I had to transfer a bunch of stuff over yesterday, including making a November calendar…apparently I forgot to do that the week before. November kind of snuck up on me.

Yup. There it is. A week off.

I need that. Here’s a baby lizard on the outside of the front door. Odds are it’s in the house now.

Sleepy Calli with a toy.

So yesterday was lots of grading and delivering a quilt and dinner with the parents, now that they’re back home, and then finally into the office for more of this. Ironing is taking a really long time on this piece. I’m in the beginning of the 400s and I am 8 hours in. That’s like double what it usually takes.

I’m blaming it on my trying to make some things realistic…like above is a mule deer. That’s a lot of fabric for something that’s about 4 inches square. More importantly, it’s a lot of searching for the right fabrics for something that doesn’t take up much room on the piece. I’m convinced it will be a good thing in the long run.

The plus is that I finished all the background landscape last night and I’m ready to start on the figure. Picking flesh is faster…use the same 7 or 8 fabrics for a huge swath of the piece. So the next batch of ironing should go faster. Notice there aren’t many bright colors yet…that should change in this section. There are lots of fabrics though. That’s for sure.

This is a picture of the Quilts=Art=Quilts exhibit at the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, NY. There’s obviously some choral thing going on…and my quilt is on the wall, back right. It’s the first time I’ve seen it for this show.

So that’s cool. I just delivered another piece for a show that opens in December. Also cool. And Power of Women went up in the last few days at IQF Market in Houston, TX. Looking forward to seeing that in photos as well, since I won’t be going to Houston myself.

OK, so my goal for this week is to finish ironing pieces to fabric. I can take a pile with me to cut out in Boston. IDK if it makes sense to do that, but I can do it anyway. Worst case, I cut out next week and start ironing it together…see, I don’t know if I have enough time to finish it if I wait that long. We’ll see. I’m not going to stress about it yet.

But for now, I need to go to school and find all the shit I need to teach today. That’s first on the list.

*alt-J, Every Other Freckle

Yo. Universe. Listen.

I’m in between major to-do tasks at the moment, trying to decide what to do next. I have an errand to go out and do…they put me on insulin on Thursday and prescribed this pen thing, but apparently it needs needles, and those are also prescription. But they didn’t give me that prescription. And the pharmacist didn’t say anything about needing them when I told her I had never used this pen before and could she explain it (she didn’t). Sigh. Not impressed at the moment. Anyway, I have to go get needles now, but I’m waiting for the prescription to process. Meanwhile, whether my pancreas or my gall bladder or some alien who has taken over my innards is the problem, we don’t know yet. Waiting on blood tests and an ultrasound, which I will be missing school for, but it can’t be helped. It does mean I’m really scrambling this weekend, trying to finish grades and replan the week so my students can do stuff without me. Maybe. I barely understand this unit myself, having never taught it before, so this is a bit of a clusterfuck, but we’ll get through it. Hopefully the guest teacher knows something about science. Ha! They rarely do.

Interrupted by the girlchild. Her replacement phone is defective. From the last replacement phone. So I’m on the phone with AT&T, negotiating how not to pay for any of it, but get it there in time for her to do a phone interview. OK. Not on my to-do list.

So my stress levels are through the roof. I’m surviving by making lists, checking things off, and trying to get some art in at the end of the day just to keep me sane. And petting furry beasts. They’re good. Here’s one.

This is NOT one. This pumpkin was left in my classroom and I did not want it to mold over the weekend (it’s about 90 degrees here), so I brought it home. In the car. Yes, now I have beads all over the damn car. Why? Because I forgot to put the head’s seatbelt on.

I was grading things last night. I am greatly looking forward to the National Park Project from this kid.

Really. I’m thinking it will be completely riveting.

Grades are due Tuesday. I’m not getting everything done by then.

This quilt may not get done in time. But that bird is done. It’s a tern. Or a plover. I’m thinking the tern.

I also did the water and the sky. And then it was bedtime.

Mostly. I’m not even in the 200s yet. I seriously thought I would be done by the weekend, but life, school, health, and a stupid field trip got in the way.

With Katie gone, Calli can wander around with toys in her mouth again. She’s happy.

And this one was happy too.

Mommy’s foot.

OK, so I have to go get needles, finish grades, figure out how to hang a quilt that I’m delivering tomorrow, plan for the school week, write two sets of sub plans, finish the warmups for the following week, probably find a jacket for next weekend, maybe learn Swahili. Because I don’t have enough to do. Hopefully solve this gut problem before I go (that would be nice). I got the fasting blood tests this morning. They will show whether it’s the gall bladder or an alien. Much as I’d like the alien, just for the interesting interactions that might come out of the encounter, I’d really like it to be something solvable and easy, preferably non-surgical. OK? Universe? Listening? Thanks.

Really Hopefully

Not much to say about yesterday except that it’s done and that’s a good thing. The actual visiting of the zoo was fine…it always is…a handshake from a koala here…

I always take a picture of these plants. They are awesome.

A pelican eyeballing me here…

This cat…apparently the male across the way had a bone and she was pissed.

Not that I blame her.

And this guy…I’m always troubled at zoos by the cages, the spaces in which we put animals.

He wanted out.

The parts on either side of the zoo were difficult. But they’re done. And then the doctor’s visit was interesting. I’m waiting on blood tests and an ultrasound appointment (I have no idea how I will fit that into the next two weeks, but whatever). I’m not dying. If it hurts more, I’m supposed to go to the ER. Oh. OK. And grades are due. And I’m flying to Boston next week. And and and. It will all work out. But I’m off that crazy medicine that’s been driving me nuts for months and now, after 16 years plus of being diabetic, I’m going on insulin. So there’s that. Kind of anticlimactic. I need to write an ode to my failing pancreas. And possibly my gall bladder.

At the end of the day, late to my stitching meeting, halfway between dead exhaustion and disappointed tears and just overwhelmedness, I got a beautiful sunset. Those of you living in San Diego know that it was even better than this as time went by, and my phone camera could never capture all of it, but it was a good thing…

The universe smiling down and saying LOOK. You survived it. It will all be OK. Just hold it together.

I’m doing my best, universe.

At stitching meeting, I photographed after Julie had put her baby sweater away, but here’s my never-ending road, further along, and the other Kathy trying to figure out her house pieces for the most current Sue Spargo piece, which I have not even started and probably won’t until 2022. (I’m not showing anything finished! Just pieces! You can’t show finished things until she releases the book…and this one is totally calling to me, but I can’t start it until Folk Tails is done!)

I came home. I spaced out. I went to bed. This quilt is nowhere near far enough along. I can’t worry about that. Today I grade and teach and run some errands that need running and deal with a parent meeting and hope the rock in my upper abdomen doesn’t turn surgical (it shouldn’t) and take some breaths and maybe get some shit done so that my head stops spinning. And really hopefully, I iron tonight. For hours.