jan 31 thurs

Surprise Snow Day! (again) Free day! Last day of January! Sister Night hangout!

Lots goin on. Polar vortex temperatures. I've been writing a little, watching Home & Family, putting on chicken chili, puttering. I'm enjoying puttering this winter. I typically would pace, and sit while staring, then pace more. I'm not doing too much sitting idle, if I sit I knit or embroider or color or type, I think it's made a world of difference. I'm ready for February. I've made peace with the cold.


It's been a lovely evening. Heather came over and we colored and watched True Romance. It's snowing again and everything is good,

jan 30

I've said it before, I'll say it again - I love a snow day! I've been making candy and watching TCM, which has the best lineup today: Carnival of Souls, Spider Baby, Blood & Black Lace, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. It's totally fine, we're lucky and grateful to be warm and safe and together.
So much Cheese.

jan 29

January is almost over! The polar vortex is arriving and it suuuuucks. But maybe we'll get the day off tomorrow. I hate to think of people in the cold.

My cousin Lori found a picture of Mama & Papa's house from 1988 on a site called Vintage Aerial. It was the best rush of memories, to see everything, and to tell Adam and Eric. I'm so glad it exists.

jan 28 mon

Rode to Chillicothe this morning to get yarn for me and a Fortnite sweatshirt for Adam - it was sunny, a nice ride. I'm trying to do that more often, I'm really getting to enjoy it.

4H started tonight, with a pizza party. It was good to see Kell and the Farley kids.

More later, including a pic of embroidery.


                                                                4 Weeks Embroidery

jan 27

the weekend went fast. I'm ready for time to myself tomorrow. I might ride to Chillicothe and get some yarn. That sounds amazingly pleasant.
 Heather and I are going to start hanging out, doing sister nights once a week. We need it!

jan 26

Today went FAST.
I slept in, woke up and directly began knitting and watching the new Ted Bundy documentary. It was a nice quiet day.

jan 25 fri

It's been a good day. sunshine and cold, cleaning. Adam went to his very first dance, with Ripley to Sts Peter & Paul. He came home having learned to dance in his necktie and tucked-in shirt, that had proved so difficult to move in earlier in the evening. Came home dancing.

Eric and I were talking and agreed this is my best January on record. Yeah, I'm having small difficult times, but never do I spend long periods of time wanting to pull off my skn and staring ot the window like Jack Torrance. That's par for January, and there's been shockingly little of it.

2019 kicks ass.

jan 24 thurs

Surprise snow day! It's 9am and all our grumbly nighttime feelings about having to get up early and go out in the cold were for naught. The roads are white and the sky is grey and we're not going anywhere :) I'm going to knit awhile and maybe write.

12 hrs Later
It's been a great day. This lavender orange face mask smells amazing. Adam and I lounged today, hung in our pjs watching Lemony Snicket. We ate breakfast for dinner, I made cookies. The day was a gift. We appreciated it.

jan 23rd

Ran LOTS of errands today. Got two red birds for my wreath. And some excellent tomato bisque soup. I'm going to bed.

jan 22

Tired! But okay. It's 10pm. The snow is almost gone. I've had a long day, not sure why. January of course. Tomorrow I'm going to drop clothes at Salvation Army and to get candymaking supplies. Tomorrow will be better.

jan 21 mon

It's been a good day. Adam and I played in the snow again, and I had a board meeting in Portsmouth. There was so much sunshine!

3 Weeks, Year of Embroidery

jan 20

It's a bang-up day. I started a story, and Adam and I went out in the snow.
I don't have a title but I've got a page of text, the first letter in a series, the beginning of a character chart, and a Pinterest board of circus pictures. I guess I'm just going to roll around in this and take my time, let it sorta ooze out all over. It feels good to think about a fabricated world. It feels good to flip the phone book for names.
The sun is out. Here are pictures from earlier this afternoon.

Part 2
it's midnight. I'm so very happy and it's been such a lovely day. It's 5 degrees. dam just lay down, we got to see the beautiful amazing clear bright lunar eclipse. Black and white and orange, and the snow puffing sparkly white gusts in between my eyelashes and the sky. Moon..

Jan 19 Sat

My favorite part of this January has been little mandarin oranges. We sit in the living room of the evening and I divide them between the three of us, wedge by wedge. It's so winter cozy and animal familial. I know I've mentioned it before.

I continue to knit and embroider. I buy handfuls of skeins of embroidery thread. I'm not very good but I like it.

The winter storm is so far just rain and rain and rain. It's supposed to be changing to snow any minute now and dump buckets of snow on us instead of rain, I so hope it happens.

Almost 11pm. Adam just lay down and Eric's asleep at the other end of the couch. There are always weird little hiccups that upset the ship, but we straighten it out and keep on sailing. That sounds like a paraphrase of a Beach Boys lyric.

jan 18

There' supposed to be a big Winter Storm tomorrow - everyone is so excited. People love when Things Happen, even though they pretend they don't.
it's been a good day. Walking at Mom's work w/Heather then we went with Mom & Mechel to Giovannis. After school Adam & I ran to Chillicothe and got his dress clothes for the dance at Sts Peter & Paul next weekend, then he spent the evening at Ripley's while Eric slept in the recliner and I watched TCM.
It's almost midnight Friday night, the dogs are asleep and Adam is under a blanket at the other end of the couch. We're stocked up on groceries and ready to watch movies and play games for the weekend.

jan 17 thurs

Tired today. This will be short.
Twas a pretty good day. More rain than snow but work was smooth and Scott made fried bologna sandwiches for lunch.
Adam went to a skating party, and I've done a little knitting and a little zoning out and I'm about ready for bed.

Jan 16

change of pace! It's morning. 8:40am, the dogs are sleeping, there's a little leftover snow on the ground, I'm in my pjs and watching the end of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on TCM.

I don't want any of my working/typing on here to become too constrained with routine. I don't want every entry to be at 9;30pm before I do pre-bedtime stuff.

The itch is back. The "stories in me" itch. I've been so afraid I'd never feel it again, that pull towards all the other lives that are not but are. that was unnecessarily purple prose, but ti stands as truth. Itchy, restless, wanting, that's the way to live. It makes one make up so many lovely things. I'm going to dig into the Word program this week and make myself type up the piece I wrote out in longhand about the girl in the circus. It's not even 100 wds, but it's something. I may very well fashion it into the beginning of Franklin Park Conservatory I very much like the idea of patients having very rich impossible back stories. I might re-type out the draft for FPC itself, just for the keyboard practice and the possibility of slipping into editing while typing.

I don't know why I'm so afraid it won't work, and that it won't be good. I mean, I know a lot of it has to be post-medication post-life-changing-breakdown fear that I'm too changed, too different, too sober. Too adapted to this civilian life. Too rooted in daily life. Too scared to let go and slip slip slide into other dimensions, then be expected to effortlessly slip right back...


part 2 10pm
I wonder if the girl from the circus wrote letters to her aerialist.
I wonder if I could open up another thread of letters to this aerialist, just a whole life in epistolary form, whether or not I even use half of it I want to do t, I think...
ooooh I'm actually kinda excited.
nervous
excited!

jan 15

it's been a good day. Quiet at work, with the dogs in their sweaters and fat chicken salad sandwiches for lunch. I love the Terry Family.

Eric is asleep in the recliner and I'm eating trail mix. Life is treating me okay. Winter is clear cold icy molasses, so Karo I guess? Anyway pull tar exhalation - but I'm trying to breathe. I am breathing.

jan !4

I'm enjoying the quiet times at home. The birdfeeder full of cardinals. My slippers.
More later. It's Monday and there are always things to do. <3

Part 2 8:20pm
End of Week 2 Embroidery

jan 13

I love the rhythm  and ritual of this winter. I'm rolling with it. Scrabble and snow and grocery lists on Sunday; folding laundry and True Detective with Eric asleep in the recliner and Domino melded to Eric's red plaid blanket.
I want to remember that blanket. It's connected to verything good and warm and soft about Eric. His beard, his smile.
Stitching every day, enjoying that ritual, too.
enjoying the snow.
There are hiccups of severe emotions but January is actually very much better than most. It's my boys. And my dogs :)

jan 12

it's been a long day but hey there's been snow and birds, and Eric is done with the water heater so things will be greatly improved tomorrow.

I've started another scarf. it might be for me. I thought maybe one for Craig Wallwork, or Chantal, but then thought I might want it for myself. There's a world of knitting in the future for me to make things for everyone.

"World of knitting in the future" :) I am a happy dork and old lady.

A perfectly lovely winter day, fluffy flakes and the birdfeeder full of bright cardinals.

Jan 11

I woke up and cleaned my ass off for like the whole first half of the day and felt a lot better about January. Part of it is being a little manic, yeah, and I had energy to burn off, but it does just feel really good to have just cleaned a bunch. Pls Ripley was coming over, and it's easier to welcome people into a comfortable home.
Watching this Marie Kwondo show about cleaning, as well. That's January, the itch, the cabin fever.
But the sun was out for awhile today, and tomorrow there's supposed to be some snow.

P.S. Mad Max:Fury Road is very good.
here are some pictures from this week.

Jan 10

Snow, snow, dancing snow all day. Through the windows and around the tires. There's no evidence now but it's coming back on Saturday. I'm prepared with my blanket, crock pot and bag of mandarins. No scurvy for these pirates.

jan 9

Snow flurries all day. And WIND! And cold. Sort of awful, but pretty, a proper Winter day emphasis on the capital W.

Proper Winter. I like that.

I've been watching stupid craft talk shows on Hallmark. I'm doing every craft and loving it.

I'm a little manic in that way - a little hyper-focused on the crafting, but it's the best way to work through the January tension.

jan 8

holy shit I'm tired.

it's bowie's birthday.

feeling particularly January today.

It's okay.

more tomorrow.

jan 7

10:10pm

it's been a good day. grocery shopping, got a scarf at Goodwill and used it on a wreath   don't have a picture but I'l get one after I add a bird or bow, something, to it. It's still a little too lonely-January-looking. A bit too appropriate. I'll add a cardinal and it will be warm.

7 days of stitches completed. Photo below, as well as 2 from my day yesterday.

jan 6

I missed yesterday! But I was so tired, it was Betty's Memorial in the afternoon, with dinner afterward.

Today went to Columbus to meet Chantal. We went to the Conservatory (one of my favorite places in the whole universe), and to Lemongrass & Th e Book Loft. It was an awesome day.

so it's been an emotional roller coaster of a weekend to say farewell to xmas break. I need to crash. Tomorrow is a slow day - and hopefully sunshine.

jan 4

it's pouring rain. eric and I just did tea tree masks. we're watching Drag Race All Stars, Adam is here in the room playing Fortnite on his switch.

Rain.
Rain.
Rain.

I worked on embroidery, made sprigs of lavender. Didn't get a picture :)

P.S. Part 2 at 10:43pm
I forgot to mention that earlier BEFORE it rained I did get outside to feed tomatoes to the chickens.
it was a pretty good day.
here are 7 pictures of it.

jan 3

work went well today. I wore my baby blue oxfords.
Messed up my embroidery for the day - the house roof I added makes the whole thing look like a blue penis :) haven't figured out if there's a remedy for that!
Watching Spurs v Raptors, not long for this side of the blanket.
I'm actually already under a blanket. My electric blanket. Eric gets me the warmest things. An electric blanket and a hooded Sherpa cape, the past two Christmases. I'm 75 in my heart & he knows me well.

jan 2

I wonder if tastebuds evolve over time. I can't ever remember an affinity for butterscotch hard candy before like a year ago. But it has evolved in time with my knitting and crafting.

back to work tomorrow.
I don't mind. I've had a good rest and have a couple pairs of new shoes I want to wear anyway.

Eric and I watched On the Waterfront tonight & loved it. Streetcar Named Desire is on now, but Eric has just gone to bed and I'm not long for consciousness myself.

I like the Click Click of the keys.

For my stitches today I did half a house, I'll be able to do the rest of it and some surrounding foliage over the next couple of days. It's not interesting enough to photograph yet, but will be after I've made a flowering tree next to it made of French knots.

Adam went to Justin's tonight. He'll be exhausted tomorrow but oh well, make hay while the sun shines, or however you say to live it up the last few days of break.

we're heading into the long stretch of dark winter. To the time of The Shining. I'm acknowledging the Overlook but i'm going to remain vigilant, I don't want to sink.
But I do hope we get some snow...

jan 1

it's 2pm, we're in varying states of consciousness and dress. Adam is eating an ice cream sandwich in his pjs, Eric is asleep in his recliner. it's dreary. cloudy. grey.
i'm going to try and commit every bit of dumb shit that goes through my head into this blog, just as practice. joining my head with the page again.
I've spent the past 3 days fixated on embroidery. I'm thinking of doing a 365 Days of Stitches thing. add a little every day. This is what I've put together since Saturday:

Day 1 Of 365: