Introspection (?)

Its been a sort of quiet few days...which is just fine.  Though I keep having that odd feeling that I should be going or doing something to...."get ready".  Get ready for what I am not sure of lol.  I am so used to running around (some times like a chicken with its perverbial head cut-off), that to suddenly have it all stop leaves a blank space that I need to fill.  I keep having this sense of urgency come over me as if I have to fill-in that space with something & everything...knitting...art...swimming...gardening...games...reading (oh boy am I reading lol). Its like I am trying to build to the stress level that I live in during the school year.  Its so strange.  I desperately needed a break from that constant intense stress and now here I am trying to build it back up for no other reason then I am used to it.  It get so that I am frozen and end up doing nothing at all which is probably what the cosmos is trying to tell me to do...nothing...to just stop.  Stop and feel and breathe...breathe. 

I did some drawing yesterday but I kept stopping and starting to wander onto the computer or just wander.  I want to create....actually I NEED to create.  I know that for me it is the one thing that heals me, calms me...completes me.  It makes me feel whole, fills me with confindence about who am, what I know like nothing else can.  Math makes me feel smart when I conquer it but it is a stress that makes me nervous because of the hard work that goes into it.  Teaching reaches me because of the great responsibility I have with helping my kids.  But neither of those makes me whole in the way creating does.  Those two things are a small pieces of me but art is the whole of me.  I have detached myself from it for so very long and its lack in my life has made me ...hmm made me "un-calm" ...distanced from my true self.  I am less able to deal with stress and considering the level of stress we have at our school that is actually not a good thing.  Not good for me and definately not good for my kids.  Makes me short tempered and angry....it especially makes me less grateful and resentful.  Not good...not good at all.  I do not want to be that angry teacher that kids remember later in life with a shake of thier heads.  I do not want to be that kind of person who is alwyas complaining.  Its uncomfortable and its stressful. 

Getting off the distraction of this computer and going into my studio to create...something...anything. :-)

June 25th...Geek Joy

What little joys did I have yesterday?  Whatched several episodes of Earth 2 (loved that show), knitted and painted a little...and...here comes the geekiness...saw Saturn!  HA!  The Honey setup the telescope, which is just a small little thing, and at about 9 or so it was dark enough that he found it in the sky.  It was really tiny but we could make out the rings!  It was waaaayyyyyyy cool.  It was pretty small in our telescope, one because our telescope is not powerful and two it is 1.2 billion kilometers away from Earth.  We tried to see if we could get a pic of it through the telescope lens but that did not work.  I fould a picture of what we kind of saw on the Theory of Everything Blog.  What we saw was a little fuzzier but still this is close to it.

Cool right?  I could tell that The Honey was happy...How?  Well he kept saying "I saw Saturn". *grin*

A Challenge.

Just read an article on "Take Part" about a family that is swearing supermarkets for a year.  They created a blog and I am intrigued about what they are doing but especially by how they are doing it.  Their blog is called "The Hippest Housewife".  Check it out.

June 23rd...Hammock Joy

Today "The Honey" and I went to Donner Lake.  The pictures were taken from my hammock. :-)  It was absolutely gorgeous.  At first we weren't sure it was going to be the peaceful escape we were looking forward to because there was a large group of teenage girls spread across the shore.  NO I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH TEEN GIRLS.  (After all I teach high school)  Just as most know teen girls can be loud and over the top in experiencing their joy, and when there are 20+ all together...well you know.  It turned out that this was the mellowest and most laid back group of girls I had ever been around.  It was actually kind of strange. lol  The other thing I noticed was that NONE of them had electronics on them of any kind...no iphones or cells to be seen.  I am so used to seeing (& fighting over) electronics as another appendage on teenagers that it sort of stuck out that this group had none.  AND wow can you imagine they were having fun talking, swimming, boating and being with each other. LOL


What did "The Honey" and I do?  We laid in the dappled sunshine, read, ate, knitted (me only) and took a paddle boat out into the middle of the lake.  It was glorious!  Thank you honey...great idea!  The view from my hammock was oh so fine.

Small Joys

I no longer have the use of my Rainbow Bug which curtails my "sense" of freedom.  So for now I have a lovely new bike. PURPLE!  Of course it had to be a loud color.


The other small joy is getting my "studio" in order.  Its great to be able to walk in there and have space to create.  Its also a very sunny room with a big window that faces the street and a side window that faces the neighbor's nice side yard.

June 17th...Discovering a new spot Joy

After a relaxing zen yoga class the lovely Rachael invited us over for a delicious lunch in her lovely garden.  Toby & Rachael then introduced me to a secluded spot for walking with great views of sparks.  If you look closely you can see downtown Sparks in the distance.  There is also an irrigation run off from the Truckee that is cool and shaded.  The Honey was also introduced to the spot the day after and loved it as well.

June 10th...Pool Joy

The school year ended on the 8th of June and our lovely Kim-ster invited some of us over to the pool in her complex.  My first step into finding my quiet place.  It was also my first dip of the summer.  It was lovely to swim and laugh and de-stress!

Studio...YEAH!

Took two days to get my studio into some kind of workable shape.  There was just no way around how I have to organize and store things because the room is small and I have all sorts of art, craft & knitting supplies...and lets not talk about books. :/  Was hoping to finally put together my gorgeous drawing table but there is no space for it.  Anyway started working on a couple of pieces.  I am also working on 5 pairs of socks for gifts. Oh and went swimming today...boy I am getting dark!


Tomorrow we are going to Donner Lake (the west end...only $3.00). Will take pics!

Yarn Humor

Almost summer!

Me: In 29 minutes its officially summer
The Honey: oh....um ok
Me: Oh wait in 28 minutes
The Honey: We didn't celebrate that in Hawaii because....well...ya know ...its just
Me: Oh just shut up
pfft :/

Slow Moving Day

Had plans to get into some art but couldn't get myself moving. I managed to get into the shed and get out canvas and some other art things that needed to have come in a long time ago.  I did research some art "ideas" that I have been thinking about as well.  Geez the shed was just gross and hot.  Took a shower as soon as I was done.


Spent time exchanging emails with the Mom-ster about seeds and plants and such. LOL  My little greenhouse collapsed today and had to clean it all up. Lost two seedlings but they weren't making it, so not a big deal.  The greenhouse did not fair as well, the tubes on one side bent so now can't keep all the seedlings in it.  Not sure where to put them at night now.


I also spent some time research how to paint wooden furniture.  I want to funk-i-fy my dinninng room table and chairs.  They are boring. NEED COLOR! I am the rainbow bug girl after all...well I was until she died.  So very sad not having that car (or any car now).

What's growing?

I keep getting asked what I am growing....so here it is:

I didn't plant any greens sort of forgot about them lol  Here is what I have planted that are growing like gang busters (the big plants):
Lemon cucumbers
yellow bell pep
purple bell pep
lemon thyme
oregano
2 yellow pears (my fav tomatoes)
green beans
grape tomato
zebra tomato
tomato sauce tomato...the giant kind
strawberries

In the greenhouse I have the following:
red & green bell peps
sumter cucumbers
zucchini
yellow squash
musk melon
pumpkin
eggplant
broccoli
green onions
 juliet tomato

Not sure about the greenhouse plants yet.  They are still in the seedling stage but hey since this is the first time I have ever grown anything I figure that what ever I get will be great :-).  Half of what I have out & in the green house I grew from seeds myself other half I got from garden centers around town including a mini farmers market that was just for seedlings. It was cool.  I want to grow lettuce and spinach...carrots and potatoes.  I want to grow stuff that is colorful (OF COURSE lol) and the types of things that are harder to find and when you do they are expensive.  I really wanted to grow white tomatoes and purple tomatoes, but found the seeds too late.  Oh and wanted to grow Orange bell peps and white & yellow cucs.  Maybe next year.  One of my friends told me its not too late to grow lettuce but it has to be kept in shade and wet because its a cold plant.  I just need to get long pots for them. 

Not to bad for my first time huh?

Thoughts

Heard a version of this on TV tonight and turned it into somethig more "me":
Cannot speak about what someone did or did not do to you or others...the question is if you will add to the hurt or the joy for yourself or those around you.

To Begin...(?)

     Sooo...I had a blog before...well still have it but let it go for whatever reason. Maybe because it was just about knitting (Yarnatic) who knows. Have wanted to create another one but have not gotten underway. I have been Inspired by one that my friend has started to document a summer roadtrip she is under going. I thought I would make a travel blog because I am headed to NYC in a few weeks but may be it will be something more. Who knows.
     About the title...well last summer I had a super relaxing summer (but it was a bit isolating). So much so that I went back to work feeling ready. This summer is shaping up to be just as relaxing, not so alone. About to start my second week off and was thinking on what I can do to take the anti-stress I gain over the summer with me into the school year (yes I'm a teacher...High School.."gasp"...Math..."gasp"....shhhush I know lol). So the title is about taking the peace I find during the summe,r past the summer and into the rest of the year. The question mark is whether I can do it or not. LOL Shall see.

     This summer I want to help heal myself emotionally as well as physically. I have made some in roads into those goals already. Walking, swimming, Zen/Meditative Yoga. I NEED to get back to my artwork. In the past it has healed me more then anything else and I desperately miss it. My knitting & yarn addiction is satisfying in that it relieves stress in the short term but does not do for me what painting & drawing does for me in the long term.
     Something I am doing that is a first for me is that I am growing "things". Edible "things". Its a first for me. My Mom and younger sister have green thumbs and my best friend Kathy as well. I have always hated the idea of sticking my hands in the dirt. Buggies, wormies....ickies. BLAH :-P ~~~ In the past few years there have been so many scares with food and then wanting to go green I felt I had to do something to control my food and reduce waste. Sooo I now GROW THINGS. LOL. Edible types. I honestly didn't think that I was going to enjoy it as much as I have. Its relaxing to play with my plants. Who knew? (All those who are so into gardening. dugh).
     Well thats it for my first post. I hope to post about my knitting, art (new and old), trips, friends, work. In general my life "stuff-age". Not really doing this for anyone other then myself.
Lower deck with my little greenhouse.

Upper deck with plants and sitting area.
Upper deck again showing my lovely hammock. Can't wait until the plants fill out and become colorful!