Shoutout

The body heals with play, the mind heals with laughter, and the spirit heals with joy.

No matter how wonderful a trip is....it's always good to be home. I have to give a shoutout to Paul for doing such a wonderful job taking care of the plants and the birds. Everything looks happy and healthy!

It was such a delight to come home to several sweet white rain lily blooms. And how comforting it was to start to slide right back into my quiet daily routine. 

Romanticize the routine, not the result.

Home!

What a wonderful time I had connecting with my family....and how wonderful it is to be home. 

I was tickled to find spring a little further along here in Portland....including the little daffodils blooming by the rock wall. I'm looking forward to walking the yard...the woods and the neighborhood tomorrow to see the progress.

There's no place like home! 

The Trees We Planted

There's a saying that goes something like this: A society grows great when we plant a tree in whose shade we may never sit.

Yesterday morning in the fog and drizzle...Paul and I drove Jenny and Dave around the greater Portland area.

They had seen some of the sights on their own...so we hit some they hadn't...and meandered through our old neighborhoods. The fall colors were near peak and the coast eerily beautiful in the fog.

We drove by our first house in Maine...the Foreside Community Church parsonage on Foreside Road in Cumberland.  We planted a cherry tree in the front yard that was a gift from the youth group.

Jenny and Dave had visited us at this home when all our kids were young. We all have good memories of those days.

We drove past our next house which was the first one we ever owned. 

Paul and I planted two small maples in the front yard and we were in awe of how big they had gotten. They were just started to turn. 

And we were completely gobsmacked with the fringe tree in the backyard. 

We actually thought had died the first year we planted it.....but it eventually leafed out and has grown into a show stopper. Maybe someday I'll knock on the door and ask to sit in the shade of these trees we planted.

 

We drove past our little weekend house in South Portland where we planted a couple trees in the backyard including a seven-son tree. We got a glimpse of it from the road. It's the same type of tree we planted at the corner of our patio at the condo. The white blooms in in South Portland have fallen and the pink bracts have appeared. You can see the South Portland tree in the middle of this second photo. 

Ours at the condo is just starting to turn pink. 

Jenny and Dave went on their way this morning....and I'm sure they will enjoy the trees other people planted as they finish their New England fall foliage tour. 

Thriving

It's refreshing....and quite heart warming actually to hear politicians talking about joy. It feels so hopeful! 

I have a shrub in front of our condo that I have nurtured since it was just a tiny little twig.  All this time I thought it was a daphne...but my plant app tells me it's actually a Japanese pieris, a type of andromeda. The new growth comes in pink.....and makes me smile everytime it appears. 

At least 10 years ago....maybe 12...I purchased a flat of tiny little evergreens when we lived in the parsonage in Lexington. There may have been 6 little shrubs in the pack...all different...and they were adorable. For several years I assembled a winter planter for the stoop at the back door....then I would move the plants to the garden for the summer. They were small...so I could just tuck them here and there.

But eventually they got too big to keep transplanting....so I found permanent places in the yard...and a few didn't make it. But this variegated pieris survived...and it was my favorite...and I knew I wanted to see it through long term. So I moved it to the condo.

It started in the backyard by the patio...but it wasn't the best spot for it. Then when I reworked the front garden I thought it would make a good focal foundation shrub...so the poor things got moved again. You can see it there in the middle between the begonias.

It's been in its new spot for about 4 years now...and it's thriving. 

Paul and I have been retired in our new spot now for almost that long....and we're thriving too! And there's a good chance that some of our new growth is pink too!

Comforts of Home

Today has been a little challenging....and somewhat emotional... but how can a day not be improved when this much color lands on your phone screen.  

Dotty sent the photo...and I have no idea where she got it. But THANK YOU to Dotty and the  artist who took the photo!  

Paul and I have parked ourselves at the public library in Falmouth for a little while this afternoon.  It's such a beautiful space...with most of the comforts of home including power, heat, and internet.  I'm hoping ours will be restored soon...but in the meantime...we're doing just fine.  

It's hard to do art with gloves on....but I'm dreaming and scheming in my head all the time. 

I hope there is color....and joy in your day....and that you have all the comforts of home.....even it it's not at home.   

Calm and Bright

Merry Christmas Day! 

I had a flurry of blooms on my Christmas cactus around Thanksgiving....and after a few weeks of rest....ONE new bloom was fully open this morning. Just one....and it chose today.

Sam, Paul and I had Christmas dinner with Margie at her place....then a quiet rest of the day at home. I love calm after all the festivities just as much as the festivities.  

Things will be calm and bright for a while...I'm quite fond of this week between Christmas and New Years.  I'll keep my little strings of lights going as long as the batteries last....and we'll enjoy the tree and decorations for a little while.  When I was teaching I remember starting to take things down pretty quickly after Christmas taking advantage of the time I was home from school.  But not anymore.....there's no hurry and I'll know when the time is right.

This journey through my Christmas Moments is just what I needed this year.  It gave me a focus....an opportunity to revisit some of my Christmas memories and a reason to set up and celebrate some special Christmas things.  I enjoyed the comments and conversations I've had with some of you....and am so grateful that you followed along.

I thought I would widen the camera view just a bit view....and give you more of a context for some of these Christmas Moments in our main living area.

Welcome to our cozy condo!

I'm chuckling as I notice the blocks still under our dining room table. I think 2024 should be the year to finally fix that problem.  That story is here with another link to the story behind this special table:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/05/bonus.html

I actually finished this puzzle today....and I'm pretty excited about the next one. 

Thank you so much for visiting! 

Merry Christmas from Maine!

As Long As It Needs

"If I don't have red, I use blue." Pablo Picasso

Life happens....so the timing for a few of the cards in our Rainbow Connection project might be a little off.  I'm going to share and celebrate cards as they are received by the new owner.....and the rest of the project can take as long as it needs. We're still tying up the blue....several of the purples are on their way....and we'll wind it up keeping our own coral/pink later in the month.  Or whenever it works. 

This is a linocut print that Brenda did for Becky. The design is based on traditional Japanese patterns, which are often done in blue.  I love the simple shapes and geometry....and this particular inky blue. And I especially love the negatives spaces created by the print.  Well done Brenda!

Speaking of blue....the paint color I chose for the hallway table is more blue than I remembered....I did buy the paint over 6 months ago after all.

I thought I chose one that was more blue/green....but I'm auditioning it the space...and mulling it over. 

The clerk at the paint store said I really shouldn't put anything on it for at least a month....and preferably two. Really? So I didn't leave the plant....and I'll try to give the paint as long as it needs to cure.  The blue might actually be the right color....because that's the color it is right now! There's something very satisfying about a "start" turning into a "done!"

I think it goes well with my gallery wall!

I wrote about this project here.

Now it's done! 

He doesn't weigh much....

so can stay there as long as he wants to.

Home Again

No matter how wonderful time is away....there's no place quite like home.

I twisted a little more cording during the drive back...and I'm going to stick with the reds and purples on this one. It was the perfect car project because it takes no thought...and I can even do it without looking so I can enjoy the scenery.

As I settle in back home....I'm looking forward to get back into the studio and get into a bit of a creative groove again.

Paul called me outside last evening to look at the sky....we do that for each other when we notice something special.  There was a lot of humidity in the air....and the sky seemed brighter than it should have at 8:30. There were all kind of colors reflected in the clouds from the setting sun...it was both ominous and beautiful.

I spied this beauty on our morning walk.

I'm especially tuned into all different bloom habits this season...

and I love how this aster is unfurling. It feels so special.

And although it is nearly impossible to photograph...my smaller meadow rue is putting on a nice show. I just love these long arching branches with their sweet little flowers.

My taller plant by the fence is not doing all that well...but it has one short little blooming stem.  I'll take it!  I just adore these little pink pearl buds.....and they photograph well against the fence.

Swinging

We had a big tree along the edge of our yard on the farm with the perfect branch for a tree swing.  There was a small ditch between the yard and the road that we would fill with leaves in the fall to jump into from the swing.  The swing changed from time to time....I remember tires and boards...but the very best one was just a rope lined with an old cushion. I remember rushing out the door after dinner to get to the swing first. 

I have wanted to make a hummingbird swing for quite some time.  I've seen them from time to time online....and the idea has been rattling around in my head.

Inspired by this one that Tracie made a few days ago....I decided that today was the day to make my swing!

Mine is pretty simple. I drilled holes in a piece of driftwood....

added wire twisted with red beads and secured the ends onto the tree branch.  

This lower branch of the tree was dead....and I didn't prune it all the way back earlier this spring thinking this would be the perfect spot for the swing.  I've seen a few birds perch on the branch and who knows if I'll get a hummingbird in the swing or not.  But it doesn't really matter....because it got me thinking about my childhood on the farm...and how I loved to swing!  And...it's kind of cute hanging there.

This is an old photo of the three trees in our front yard.  The left one was the flower tree because the garden is off to the left....the middle one was the skinny tree...and the right one was the mailbox tree. You guessed it....the mailbox is off to the right. You can see the big brach that goes off the photo on the right....that was the swing branch. It was perfect. We made up a silly game called "Hide Behind the Three Trees"....and you and read about it here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/07/hide-behind-three-trees.html

And to continue the...fun family words....

Kathy's son used to put "go" in front of words:

goghetti for spaghetti

gonilla for vanilla

And....baraffe for giraffe and her favorite shampoop for shampoo!

Thanks Kathy! I bet your son liked to swing!

Home!

"The more I enjoy my life, the better it gets."  author unknown

I loved everything about my trip.....I'm so blessed with such good friends I enjoy being with....and who have beautiful places to visit. But I'm also so blessed to be so happy at home.....and it's good to be home!

Patsy's daughter lives in a nearby town up there in downeast Maine....

and it was fun to visit the goats....and the chickens that laid the eggs we enjoyed over the last several days.  

I especially enjoyed meeting that cute tiny chicken....

who laid these adorable tiny eggs.

I got home early enough to have a nice little visit with Margie this afternoon....and she had TWO puzzles finished on her table.  Visiting her....is another one of the nice things about being home.

One Little Corner

I have an amazing studio upstairs in our condo.....it was actually one of the selling points.  When Paul walked into the large upstairs family room he said, "this is the space I've always dreamed of for you".....and we made an offer that day.

As a matter of fact...this was the listing photo....and you can see only 1/4 of the space.  

The door in the back leads into a closet that goes behind that entire wall...and there's one just like it on the other side.  Like I said....it's a dream space.

But ever since we moved here full time 2 years ago and combined our two houses....and 2 craft rooms...it's been a disorganized mess. I just kept creating...making messes upon messes.  

Then, just before Christmas, one of my sisters and I committed to cheering each other on as we tackle our messes....one bin....one space....one little corner at a time.  We sent each other before photos of our first project....and got to work.   

I chose my sewing corner as my starting place....and in case you can't tell...this is the cleaned up version. (For better or worse....I am posting a before photo at the bottom of this post.) I LOVE this sewing corner.....everything is right at my fingertips. It has great light, a large sewing table, all kinds of storage, a cutting table, a regular ironing board and a small ironing station right next to my sewing machine.  It's a big space.....and only one corner of my fabulous studio.  

I like to be surrounded with color and inspiration....I'm guessing there are some minimalists reading this who are bit horrified. 

 

Several of my own pieces are along this wall. The funky blue purse in the middle is made from paper and was a gift from Philippa. On the top of this shelf you can see my swirls of color class project, the one piece I kept from my year long monthly Folt Bolt projects, one of my favorite fabric pieces that didn't sell in a show, and a jar of stars. 

My recent bauble wreath hangs on the left and my Fabulous Florals project as well as one of my Funky Faces are on the right.  

I love this mini ironing station with the wool mat.  It's the perfect spot to iron a seam and it's where I'm making all my fused trees.

This cutting table (from Connie) also serves as a project table.....and I'm surrounded with treasures and things I love: artwork from artists I admire...many of them friends...sentimental collections....as well as snippets and and findings.

My special bottles from Angie are here....as well as this odd little group of animals from Paul.  The whole area is an odd mix of things that warm my heart.

OK....I almost didn't share the before photo....I'm a bit embarrassed...but I was encouraged to go ahead by people I trust.  You have to understand that I'm making things all the time and when I finish something....I make two or three more then start something new.  I just don't take the time....or have the patience to clean up in between.....so it builds up.....and up. I AM going to try and be better.....cleaning up a bit after I do a project. I won't let it get this bad again...wish me luck. 

I have already started on another corner of the studio.....and I'm also trying to organize my closets and storage spaces as well....so that should help. For now....I'm just taking one corner at a time. 

Now please go back to the beginning of the post and 

look at the "after photos" again.  Please!!!

Sense of Satisfaction

Every year about this time Paul spends a week at a Colorado mountain cabin with his seminary buddies.  They're more like brothers than friends.....and they've been gathering for years.

I always tackle some sort of house project while he's away....something that's easier to do when both of us aren't rattling around the house.

Last year I finally put up art in the hallways of the condo.  I had rows of things auditioning on the floor for days....and it would have driven Paul crazy. It was a big project....but quite a lot of fun.   https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/08/it-was-time.html 

My project this year wasn't fun at all...but it was something that's been bothering me since we bought the place 5 years ago.  And once I got started...there was no turning back. 

Remember yesterday's quote:  "Attitude is the difference between an ordeal and an adventure." I had to dig deep to keep a positive attitude as I removed the old caulk around our undermount kitchen sink...and replace it with new.  

I'm going to insert photos of my fabulous white rain lilies throughout this post.  They were fully blooming exactly a year ago....and the photos may soften this silly story of my ordeal adventure....which was not very photo worthy. 

Paul hates these DIY jobs more than I do...and I've tried to find a handyman/woman since we've moved in with no luck at all.  So after a few youtube videos....and a little bonding with the guy at the hardware store....I took the task on myself.  

It may sound like a simple project....but if you haven't done it...you can't judge. It was harder than I thought...especially with my limited skills and experience. I even had to watch a youtube video on how to get the old caulk tube out of the gun....and how to insert the new one. I'm better with a glue gun.

It took parts of two days to dig out the old caulk and residue....and completely clean out and disinfect the grimy crevice.  Then I had to wait 24 hours for it to completely dry....and this morning I took on the recaulking task.  I'm glad no one was watching....it was a comedy of errors....but it's done. And now I wait again....while it cures.   

Most of you may understand why I couldn't do this with Paul around. I made a big mess....and had to use the sink carefully so I wouldn't get the crevice wet again or disturb the drying caulk.  The kitchen is Paul's domain when he's home....and it would have been tough.

People notice....and sometimes  even comment on the artwork and photos in the halls of my condo. But I guarantee no one....except maybe my cleaning lady....will notice the caulk.  Not even Paul.  

But it's done...and I can stop obsessing over it.  And....there is a real sense of satisfaction having done it myself.