Every Morning

Every morning I wake up and say to myself, “No more social media! The political posts are the WRONG way to start the day. Start the day with gratitude and intention. Get up, go draw, go weave, READ the newspaper....stay away from social media.”  Then I reach for my iPad mini and open Facebook.  Well, I’m thinking this blog post might be the beginning of a new routine...

First, my gratitudes. I am grateful for my friends and family.  I will expand on that another day. For today today let me say they make me smile and give me energy.
I am grateful for my art and energy to make art. With every day that I practice I feel growth and motion toward satisfaction and peacefulness.

I am grateful that my first instinct for writing today’s post was NOT to write of my daily frustration with Trump and the media, social or antisocial..

Now I have to stop and move in to the non virtual day. Namaste.

Abstract expressionist thought

Splats of thoughts, related but only in value and hue...
Red hot thoughts: stop this campaign now! It can only get uglier-- birthers still REALLY?
Blue cold thought: how can The Daily Beast not talk about Mary Kennedy's struggle with depression UP FRONt. How just plain wrong and ignorant and misguided to bury that part of the tragedy.
Splat!!!

A good day!

I just got back from a good walk and I feel great. It's chilly out so I dressed warm with that thing that's like a tube of fleece, what is that called? Don't really care enough to figure it out-- I know it worked.

The other really good thing about today is my weaving. I was so frustrated by the "Fence" and my technical sloppiness that I decided to go back to square one and work on technique. I dressed my nice little Cactus loom with a warp about 4" x 8" with the intent of practice, practice practice... It's very satisfying, correcting errors that irritated me about the fence (too thick a weft bundle) and long slits (either plan for them and deal or design them out) and color problems (too much or too little contrast). I'm trying to weave a picture of a ribbon, and I'm now feeling like I will never (bad word for me) weave a large piece again without sampling both color and method. This makes me want to weave and weave and weave....

A true surprise:-)

So. I was truly ready to have hot pot for three or for--casual cold winter night hotspot with my coven sisters and my honey. When all of a sudden there are six and then seven loved friends. And sushi and fruit salad and shrimp and pulled pork and green salad. And we had the stuff for hot pot ready to go:-) Lovely! And a real surprise. ( and there is still enough to do spicy hot pot tomorrow -- c'mon down!)

So sweet of my DH to organize. So sweet of Judith and Jon , and Leslie and Jeff , Donna and Stu and Mark to venture out on this nasty night. Now I feel I have had a special birthday!

65? Really???

I use to think 65 was old. But I don't feel old, so I guess I was wrong:-)

For those who get The New Yorker AND get the digital version, there is nothing wrong with your device. I didn't get this until I got the print version today. VERY funny. And the twelve Eustace covers in the digital are WONDERFUL. Worth a year's subscription (and buying an iPad).

For posterity: 65 years ago there were no iPads. In fact there was barely tv. And it wasn't in color. I remember my grandfather taking about holding the reins for his father, a doctor, when he paid a house call. I remember my pediatrician paying house calls, as did my gp.

Tomorrow is actually the beginning of my 67th year. I am blessed by wher I live, by my husband, by my family, by the richness of my life.

SuperBowl Lull

I succeeded in missing all politics today -- actually I succeeded in missing almost everything today. After a restless night during which I wrote great poetry in my head, but not on paper, it was good to just take a breather. Accomplished little or, dare I admit, nothing.

Annie's post reminded me of a cat that picked me once. We were in Pohnpei and there was a beautiful tortoise shell feral female haunting our office. When we went on weekends we would feed her, took patience and quiet. Then one day she jumped in our truck and didn't make a sound as we drove home. We named her Mrs. Roosevelt as I always wanted to have talks with Mrs. R.. She stayed with us until we left... I still miss her.

My poetry thoughts last night were very simple--thoughts in the moment -- declarative sentences. Inspired by William Carlos Williams. All about seeing what I see.

Do you know that I was graced to meet Conrad Aiken when I was young? He and his wife Mary would come to Wormsloe to have martinis at sunset out on the end of the dock. They were both a bit odd, both worthy of respect.

I don't think I ever saw my mother awed by anyone. The base of privilege. Mitt Romney could have it but he is so controlled by the money people--too bad.. Good for Mr. President:-)

Eyes closing...stream of consciousness ebbing. Good night!

No central theme

Tom Lehrer once noted that if you have nothing to say you should shut up. Well, I have nothing to say, but my morning with former AARP colleagues has given me the urge to write. So, be warned: little or nothing of significance here. Sorry Tom.

On Susan Komen/ Planned Parenthood fiasco. Supposedly it's over and all has been returned to the status quo ante. I doubt it. SK is likely to still be under immense political pressure. How terribly sad that we are at a moment in history when an organization with the mission of supporting cancer survivors and research should decide, in essence, to not support low income cancer survivors or victims. For whatever reason. (BTW my guess is that employees of PP are not making a ton of money working for PP.) now my prediction will be another media blitz on how vile PP is because it allows for abortion as ONE of a number of tools for reproductive health.

GOP campaign: we can only hope that the Gingrich / Romney melee continues. Among other things that would support my resolution to watch a minimal amount of brain eating television punditry. Both folks are utterly repulsive to me.

Here's the good news! I am weaving and may actually finish the "Penland Fence" piece that has been resident on my loom, refusing to weave itself. I will post pics when complete. I love weaving--I feel peaceful and as tho my brain molecules have coalesced and settled down when I am weaving:-).

In fact, time for a little dose of weaving therapy right now. Ta all!