Rayen

Last week we went to visit our nephew in his new home, which is beautiful. As we were leaving I noticed he'd framed and hung the bag of money I made for him in the laundry room. It's a reminder that he is loved. :) I ordered a bag of mystery dice for my favorite person, who also plays D&D (I was a dungeon master while I was in the military.) The dice are a pearlescent blue and lavender, and perfect for someone who lives in the islands. I finally sent a message to the vendor at the online thrift auction about this lot that I won back in June but has not yet arrived. They responded immediately, told me they're having staffing issues and can't find it, and issued me a full refund without me having to ask for one. That is the kind of customer service you just don't see anymore these days.

I've gotten back into hand writing a personal journal while I document the ongoing changes in my life this year. I don't write quite as much (or as prettily) as I used to, but the daily habit adds to my peace and calm. While we were walking around The Mercantile last week I spotted some journaling kits, emphemera and mystery bags of vintage things that gave me an idea, and invested in these three. First, the mystery bag's contents: A beautiful old beaded purse, four spools of vintage thread, an empty wooden spool, lavender, and seven cut sections of a birch branch. Everything fits inside the purse and will stay there while I cook up some ways to use it. The purse is definitely going to be a journaling project. :) The journal ephemera pocket matches perfectly with the journal I'm using right now. It contains a lovely little collection of tags and papers. The journal kit was a big surprise; I didn't realize it came with so many bits. I...

I haven't decided if I'm going to publish the entire story online yet*, but if you want a peek at what I'm working on purely for the heck of it, check out the opening scene of my apocalyptic urban fantasy romance The Night We Met here . *Due to all the self-pubbed pilfering and AI siphoning I might just publish a few parts of it for fun, and make the whole thing available strictly by e-mail request. Or not**. **Yes, I'm that mean. :)

While we were on our road trip for my birthday we drove through Rockledge and saw the old hospital they are demolishing bit by bit. I've never been able to get so close to this kind of job site and it fascinates me, so I snapped a few more pics from the car. Aside from it being excellent visuals for a story I'm writing for pleasure (yes, everything is grist for the mill) there is something haunting about getting close to such large scale destruction. It's apocalyptic for sure, but it's also a stunning visual metaphor for many things. The deconstruction site reminds me of how I've always torn down myself for never being good enough for others. No matter how much success I achieved, it was never enough for any of them. I was pushed to do more, land more contracts, write more books, and hand over the money I made. Everyone demanded, no one encouraged. As a result I never wasted any opportunity I had as a professional. When one thing didn't ...

Two years ago I made my first memory quilt out of my old t-shirts. It was also the last time I would even think about making a t-shirt quilt because I struggled so much with the execution. Cotton jersey is a nightmare to sew, even on the machine. My hands didn't want to cooperate so I couldn't do as much embroidery as I wanted to (that was the very first time arthritis kept me from quilting, I think.) The fact that it's become one of my favorite quilts does not tempt me to revisit the experience. I also know I couldn't make this quilt now (or it would take me a year or two.) The old me struggled with the making; the present me would not even try. I can barely hold a needle anymore. So I crochet, and I tell myself that's a reasonable substitution because what else can I do? I crochet well. I crochet a lot. Still, I miss quilting. And I hate that I miss quilting. And then I miss quilting and the me who could do it even more. And then I hate myself a li...

Last week we stopped by our local no-kill cat shelter with my favorite person to make a donation and to visit with the kitties. She attracts all animals and volunteers at a shelter at home, so this was fun for her. I have a hard time not falling in love, as I did with this delicate little princess. She wouldn't hold still for a photo for long but she has sky blue eyes. Just like they do my girl, the cats all love my guy. He won't admit it but he loves visiting the shelter, too. There was one cat named Pepper who was not adoptable, likely for medical reasons, who stayed beside me the whole time I was in her room. She looked pretty banged up and had lost half of her tail. That always breaks my heart, but it's also the reason we go to visit regularly. Some of the kitties have to stay at the shelter as their forever home, and they need as much attention and affection as they can get while they live out their best lives there. If you are able to help out...