where to live . . .

I’m really a little freaked out thinking that at this time, two weeks from now, I will be getting ready to move out of my house.  A lot of sh…..stuff has gone on here, many events, several life transitions, countless hours spent on art, both fabric and clay.  This house has seen my son transition from an awkward sophomore in high school to a near graduate at UC Davis, living on campus for a year, then coming home for the next year, then finally finding an apartment. 

The clay is a little illusive right now.  Will get more good red clay as soon as I move into the new place.  May be able to work out on the patio if I find a shady spot at Selby Ranch.  Going to look at a couple of places tomorrow morning — have the day off work.

Anxiously awaiting the SOLD sign at home.  For some reason, it won’t be real until the sale pending is taken down and the SOLD sign goes up. 

Gotta go now.  Son just arrived to take me to dinner . . . and stop to get guitar strings along the way. 

Planning to finish new fabric piece this weekend, and add a label to another that the owner returned to me so that I could finish it!  What a life.

Still lovin’ it. 

Later…

buckaroo has a new home

Made the decision exactly a week ago that I was going to send buckaroo – a quilt to which I have referred several times in this writing arena – to its new home.  Took it to pottery class Wednesday evening to show a couple of interested people, then took it home, finished the label, wrapped it in fabric then into a box it slid, as if the box were made for it.  After agonizing about how to deal with it, I was very happy when I decided to send it on to my friend Thursday at lunchtime.

Evidently it arrived at its destination on Friday some time.  Received an eloquent ’thank you’ email.  I really can’t say if it was a pleasure working on this piece.  It was something that had to be done – glad I could use the medium to get it out of my system.  The reconnect (and subsequent disconnect) from 40 years ago was quite powerful.   It did me a world of good, as well as a reawakening of that old time spirit I had back then … the more mature side of that spirit …………… with a few giggly bits thrown in. 

I can say I’m quite happy now, absolutely in love with the new piece I’m finishing.

later . . .

Lovin’ the fabric!

Finally — yesterday was the first day in ages that I just went home after work.  No stops on the way.  A dream come true.  Cooked some really good food……….wonderful Trader Joe’s whole wheat pasta – nearly an inch wide – with steamed/sauteed mushrooms, broccoli, celery, zucchini and a touch of tamari and black pepper.  Simple and delicious. Served it in a lovely avocado green Japanese bowl, just the shape you can hold in your hands comfortably while you savour every bite. What a treat.  Dessert was plain Brown Cow yogurt with a spoonful of apricot preserves, some dried papaya and roasted almonds.  Yummerookies!

So I’m home early.  What to do next?

Went into the bedroom, turned on the radio to my current daily listening favorite, KVMR from Nevada City, California – truly eclectic programming – allowed myself a few minutes to relax from the day, realizing that I would have the opportunity to experience the view out this window for only a short time now.  Planning to move out of the house the weekend of April 14/15 or thereabouts.  All contingencies are removed, so the sale pending is now SOLD!  I think I’m a little sad —- but only a little —- a touch of separation anxiety, tinged with the slightly bittersweet thoughts of moving into a much smaller place and once again going through the remaining belongings that I put into storage several months ago. 

It will be interesting to see if I resume my former cooking ways when I move.  One saucepan, one small skillet, one small soup pot are the vessels; salt, pepper, tamari, olive oil and rasberry vinegar are on the shelves.  The cutting board replaced by a thin sheet of vinyl/plastic (?) which works remarkably well.  I do have two knives that I can’t do without.  Do I really need the Cuisinart or mixer, all the gadgetry that I’ve collected over the years including the apple corer and the cherry pitter?  

One thing is for certain………..I love the fabric piece I am currently working on.  It was in the conceptual stage for several months.  Each evening I work on it until I can no longer hold my eyes open - last night it was nearly midnight.  The colors are fascinating.  I’ll get some photos up here soon.  I love how it has a brilliance when the lights hit it just right.  It will be complete in a couple of weeks.  I’m hoping it will be prior to my move.

I must away.  This is what I know today.  I would like to be at home working on the fabric embellishments right now.  This will be a 3-day weekend.  Wake up time is up to me, not up to my away from home work schedule.

Thanks to Lisa Call’s blog that has more than once renewed my beliefs in the fabric arts and given me hope that one day I’ll have a studio as roomy and well-lit as hers!

Later…

Get your motor runnin’….

Head out on the highway – lookin’ for adventure — oh my goodness.  Just looked up the lyrics for the Steppenwolf song and can’t believe I had been humming through several important words all these years since it was released.  check it out…http://www.steppenwolf.com/lyr/brntbwld.html  Now come on.  Did you know all of those lyrics?  Are we all born to be wild?

I feel like my motor has been running in high gear for a several months after idling for several years.  The hard part is blasting past some while others are blasting past me. 

My biggest challenge right now – today – is remembering to be patient.  I’d like to be in constant communication with my new friend, but have decided that at this particular moment to avoid my own total discombobulation, get busy with other things, and wait. 

A few people coming over to the house tomorrow night.  Stopping on the way home to do a bit of shopping, then meeting the realtor later to sign some more papers. 

Later . . .

computer issues . . .

Have had a few bits of informational input in the Mac vs PC debate.  For my purposes – moving around for a while, it looks like the Macbook might win the prize.  Now I just have to find the best deal I can in this area.  One more thing . . .

What did I say?

Yesterday, made a first email contact with someone I’ve been waiting to meet.  It was good.  Exercising patience is a challenge for me.  I rethought what I wrote, reread what they wrote, and realize that my reply was ok.

This person is connected with a fabric art project I’m finishing this weekend.  It means a meeting somewhere down the line……when we’re both ready. 

Have to wait.  This is my charge.

later…

home inspection done!

Closing is getting close.  April 19th is the scheduled date.  Yikes.  Less than a month away.  Being a novice at this, I asked the realtor yesterday just what closing meant.  She told me that was the day we turn over the keys to the new owners.  That means also that I have to be totally out of there before that date.  So I will call Marge and see if there are any month-to-month apartments where my son lives (his idea) for a temporary fix until I can actually see what’s around, or if indeed I will stay in the area. 

Buyers’ home inspection was yesterday afternoon.  There are only two things they are asking me to do.  Hooray!  The report is in such detail that I got rather scared in reading it until I read what the buyers actually wanted done.  Have to get the work done — cleaning the lower part of the chimney (per the chimney inspection), repairing a little wood damage on one of the eaves near the garage, and re-applying mastic to one small area between the patio and the roof.  I consider myself lucky.

Work has been a little more demanding.  Usually I can get by with keeping things in order without prioritizing.  Too many things.  Might have to make a list.  That has been unnecessary recently.  Today, however, is a different story.  Realized that when I started flitting between items without actually completing anything.  So now is the time to relax and breathe – maybe even take a short walk around the building if the rain has not started.  Oh, just looked outside. 

Sun is shining, but dampness from last night’s downpour is still present.  Awakened in the middle of the night by a great flash of lightening and a crack of thunder followed by mighty rumbling after which the heavens opened and the rain poured and poured.  I’ve never heard it so loud, but thankfully it lulled me back to sleep. 

Started my didgeridoo lessons ………….. by email.  Teacher is very busy, so he has given me several exercises to develop circular breathing.  Fascinating that I’m learning this now, having been an oboe player forever without that facility.  Never seemed to need the circular breathing – always took time for a breath somewhere.  There was some comment at work yesterday about Kenny G — how the person is no longer impressed realizing that KG’s unceasing playing is due to circular breathing.  Oops – burst someone else’s bubble.

Going to make that list now.

later…

The week’s end

I have a little to say about many things right now.  Let’s see – prioritization in progress………………

Buckaroo…..Taking buckaroo down off the work wall at the end of the day today.  Will bring in something more pleasant to think about.  Several people have been repelled by this piece.  Others are just confused.  It’s very different than any others I have done…too programmatic, say the ones who know a little about what has happened over the past couple of months.  I, for one, will be glad not to have it looming large either on my wall at home or on my wall at work.  I will take it home, place it in the piece of fabric it lived in for a couple of weeks, and wait for its dedicatee to respond about whether or not he would like to take it home with him.  At work, it will be replaced by “golden chard” which is made of cotton, silk and the usual crystals and other semi-precious stones, and created just before the show in January.  Much more pleasant — still a bit odd, but that’s just me.  Maybe if I can get the fabric to pose, my camera friend will come back upstairs and take a few photos for this blog.

House…….so strange to have the house to myself on Saturdays and Sundays again since the house sold.  Everything is in order so far.  Exception: handyman John will be there in the morning to finish all the odd bits that need to be done prior to the buyers’ whole house  inspection on Monday afternoon.  Fortunately, John is a witty chappie who was born in England and has stories to tell.

Healing…………my guide guy should be back in town from his trip to Paris (not imaginary).  It’s time for another get-together.  A lot has happened in the past two weeks.  Yeah.

New fabric piece I’m making for the unknown person will be close to complete this weekend.  Plan is to work on it this evening after getting home.  I could just sit and look at it all day in its current state.  The coolness of the colors draws me into the background fabric.  The tiny pieces of silk that roam across the lower part of the piece await their shell, gem, or button embellishments.   

No workout tonight – breathing bad air from local fire yesterday and today is slightly debilitating.  And I want to go swimming tomorrow, but will wait to see if the air is awful again.  Thinking of doing one of the water exercise classes at the Y out in the north area.  Used to do lap swimming out there years ago. 

You, too can see Buckaroo

Finally ——- a few photos of Buckaroo.  Hastily done by a friend a little while ago.  To be followed later by better, we hope. For now . . .

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/peggysart

Little house on 53rd Street…

Went to 53rd Street — a 10 minute walk from my current job place — to view a rental house.  One bedroom, living room, kitchen, bathroom, a couple of sort of extra little bits of rooms, and a funky patio area attached to the back porch.  There is a garage with an electric door and a nice shady area in the back yard. 

The funky patio would be great for doing pottery rain or shine — the little front porch places great for fabric storage, but no place for my big table for fabric work.  I realized last night that where I’m living now, I can go into each room and spin around with my arms outstretched and not hit anything.  In this little house, I would either hit the walls in the living room, the mirror in the bathroom, the bed or built-in dresser in the bedroom or the walls in the little front rooms if I tried that.  So, I believe that I will pass on this one, even though it was really “cute” and would be great if it were cleaner.

I thought about whether I could have any music groups there — woodwind quintet out of the question, acapella singers – even a quartet out of the question, parties – maybe three people at a time and one of them would have to be in the bedroom and one in the shower.  Even having a guitar player and me in the front room would make us both claustrophobic.  Just remembered that the outdoor storage area has no door.  All signs point to no. 

There is no urgency.  My house has been in escrow only one week.  I’ll continue to exercise patience, chant my 1,000 names of the goddess this weekend and be thankful for any clarity that may arise out of this issue.

If I stay in this town for a while, I think midtown is where I need to roost.  Time for me to go where the action is.  (Action for me is a place where people don’t all turn their lights off by 9pm and not even venture out of their houses after dark.) 

Started on a smashing new fabric piece last night.   Smaller format than usual.  A wonderful Kaffe Fassett background with lots of little bits of silk………..this is crazy.  Need to get another camera or steal borrow one from a friend.  Going to do that right now.

Later…