week40

so this week…. was spent with my hubby in gorgeous Colorado. Jim had to go for a week of work there, and I tagged along for the ride (paid my way of course… not on the company dime). It was sort of an ‘odd’ trip… in that I knew that I would not have transporation while Jim was at work during traditional work hours. Which means…. I would either be ‘stuck’ at the hotel… or need to get an uber ride or some such to get around. What I decided (and more imporantly, ended up doing)…. was just resting at the hotel during the day. Most days, I just slept… as my sleep schedule is completely off… and I am still not sleeping well (if at all) at night. But there were a couple times when I was able to sit in the hotel cafe area… or, even better, on their patio out back. The hotel was under construction…. so there were work areas to avoid, etc… but still. The hotel was super nice, the cafe was great…. and we were able to go out for dinner each night to a new place. On Thursday, he took the day off… .and we went to Boulder … and walked around Pearl Street… and also went to an incredible bead shop that I found online. The folks there were very nice and helpful…. and I probably bought way more than I should have…. but I also figured if you are only going once…. pile it up. hehe.

I also managed to read 3 books… which was nice. .. and of course, I took photos.

The other ‘important’ thing on my Colorado Trip To-Do list; was to go to a medical marijuana dispensary and talk to someone more knowledgable than I … and (hopefully) get something strong to help with my chronic pain issues. The upshot being… I got some new tincture to try… and a CBD candy bar.

We also went to some great places to eat: Old Santa Fe, Firehouse Subs, Panera, Dot’s Diner on the Hill…. and a great place in the airport where we got burgers/ chili dogs and drinks. I am sure there were more, but I can’t think right now.

The airports were …. wow. Really really packed. Stressful…. long corridors to ???… .and so much walking. Tight seats on the plane… heavy luggage… whoa. Asshats not complying with safety regs… .eeps. But still…. worth every minute. For the most part though.. and considering how very many people were there…. probably the best I could hope for. We got home late on Friday. … .and somehow, I have managed to lose the weekend. I picked up… caught up on laundry, we got groceries, mail, etc…. checked on all the plants ( and they did fine for a week unattended…. but I left the plant lights on, and watered liberally before I left).

This coming week… I hope to work on some Halloween themed jewelry pieces to list on my FB business page, and/ or in the Etsy shop. The Etsy shop is currently OPEN but I will be closing it again for a couple weeks this Friday…. as we have another trip coming up!!!! wooHOO!

week39

no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. I forgot to post last weekend. And tomorrow… I am going on a short trip…. so I am combining what would have been 2 weeks of posts …. into one.

All that said, not much has really happened. I did chores, I went to the holistic doctor and got an adjustment. And because of that…. or at least, I will give credit to that…. I have been able to eat this week. Like … alot. And LOL… it’s been awesome. I probably didn’t lose any weight from the last 3-4 weeks of being sick…. but if I did… I surely gained it back this week. I’ve also been able to sleep better this week overall. So…. while not much has been gotten done….. ALOT has been gotten done in the way of sleeping and eating. … resting…. and watching TV or reading.

I did make some simple earrings with Halloween/ Samhain in mind… and will be making more when I get back to my studio space in a week or so. In the meantime, I’ve put the ETSY shop on vacation mode which I am nervous about… because the last time I did this, Etsy lost all of my listings and I had to rewrite them all. But yes.

And of course, I kept up with my 365 daily photo project and random weekday studio shots… which you can see in the collages below. As well as… some of the jewelry I did. Be Safe…. everyone. And I’ll see you in a week or so.

week37

Is it possible that I am on some sort of “Groundhog’s Day” type of time loop? Again, I thought I was ‘over’ this stomach bug… only to be proven very…. very wrong. Today marks 3 weeks of it. Today though, I was able to eat some yogurt, and just finished a plate of baked tater tots… so we’ll see. Sleep has been ‘wonky’… but I seem to be getting some good rest in the mid afternoons// so I’ll take it. Otherwise, it’s been sort of status quo. I’ve made a couple small items and gotten them mailed off. I made some food…. I’ve lit candles for friends going thru yucky things. I’ve nurtured the plants… and talked with a few folks… and just… been.

Last night I walked a little bit of the apartment complex, taking photos of the blue beam lit at the Pentagon (in the distance) as a memorial to those lost on 9/11. I am deeply saddened by the loss… but also… and not any less importantly, the loss of nearly as many… and almost daily…. from CoVid. And yet, the over 660,000 deaths nationally from CoVid has not had the same impact on people…. even though the threat has been (and continues to be) just as serious.

>>sigh<<. We can only do what we can do.

There is such tragedy in the world right now. But there is beauty too. I am trying to find it… and hope you are able to as well. Below are my 365 photos from this past week…. and my daily studio shots from this week.

week36

It feels like I just did last week’s post…. and here I am doing another. I thought I was ‘over’ the stomach bug… but it turns out, I was not. And, it looks like I am still working on getting past it. But, at least I was home all week… and able to rest and work on getting better…..

This weekend, Jim and I went out to run a couple errands, which fortunately, included a visit to my favorite diner where I had a large, hot cuppa cofee… and some incredible eggs, bacon, and hash browns. I did manage to make a couple pair of earrings… but have many more things I want to do/ make for folks.

Below are my 365 photos from this past week…. and my daily studio shots from this week.

week35

so.. this has been a sort of busy week…. in that I was quite sick with a stomach bug (so was Jim). Life was definitely being lived within easy access to the bathroom. … and so I concentrated on getting daily/ responsible chores done… and resting as much as possible. Jim is pretty much over his version of the illness, and I am (hopefully) almost done with it as well.

Yesterday, I had my first visit with a new doctor … which has been difficult in many ways as well. Between filling out all the paperwork, writing a medical history that includes more immediate relatives… and just being able to put myself out there and trust a new doc when so many have brushed things off (or not known what to do)… is hard. And expensive! This first appointment, with initial bloodwork, cost $1300… which I will submit to insurance, but currently is completely out of pocket because I am seeing a holistic/ wellness doctor instead of traditional western medicine avenues.

Additionally, I was able to get things changed a little on this website, which has been bugging me, and been a source of much frustration. Long story short, I had asked for tech help, but there was some miscommunication, and as I couldn’t do the tech stuff myself… it has sat. BUT. There is now a new domain name (AdiantumStudio.com) that this is all sitting on (and redirects to it)… and I’ve made a new avatar and/or banner for the Facebook pages, etsy shop, and IG… and I’ve (finally) gotten new business cards. I am sure I will change out the avatars and banners periodically, but wanted to get something established. I’ve still a long way to go in ‘tweaking’ the pages… particularly this blog section….. and need to establish a new email and a bunch of other tasks…. but things are at least moving in a positive direction.

What else? Oh! The fantastic cafe with the murals I posted about last weekend… We went back yesterday, and the cafe is a Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken! that we adore! and quite possibly it is the location that we are getting our doordash from when we order Nando’s. Anway. It is just as super cool on the inside, as the outside, and are my photos for today (above).

—> below: photo collections of my “random studio shot for the day”… and my 365 daily photos

week34

This is actually a photo I took last weekend when we were out and about. I was intentionally saving it for this weekend’s post, because it was just so graphic and colorful…. and awesome! This is the outside wall of one of our local malls, and it is the front facing entry to a cool new restaurant. We didn’t happen to go… but it’s now on my list.

I had hoped that I would get things (jewelry making wise) done this week…. but alas. What did happen?

Well, it rained alot… like ALOT this week. Normally, I love rain… but this week… it brought with it headaches, joint pain… and more. Not exactly sure why. But in hindsight, it might also have been that I was coming down with a stomach bug… as both Jim and I got it this weekend. But I did lots of ‘resting’…. taking CBD, and putzing around. This week was also the anniversary of what would have been my mom’s 89th birthday, and the 11th anniversary of my dad’s passing. It was also my favorite aunt’s birthday (she has also passed)…. and what would have been my sister’s wedding anniversary if she were still here. So many things have changed in the past several years… it’s all so hard to process sometimes.

What else… I made an awesome (but huge) pot of chili. I also made a wicked beef pot roast with all the veggies… and some pretty plates several other days for dinners. I also cleaned up the balcony space. It took me all day, but I swept everything down. I repotted 6 plants. I cleaned pots, wiped down the raised bed garden unit, and stacked stuff neatly on the shelf. I harvested half of the herbs and am drying them out. Added fresh dirt to all the plants. I brought in all the 'indoor' plants. I figured it was better to err on the side of poor lighting and using a grow light on the kitchen table... rather than risk having the plants get too much water & rain on the balcony if I left them out there. I also gifted a group of little plants in a new pot, etc to a neighbor who recently got engaged. As a goodly number of plants are now back inside, I was able to get rid of the wooden plant stand I’ve been using for a couple years. It has gotten really warped, and is too unstable now. I bought a new one… but am thinking I will just save it for spring when I put the plants back out. The space looks a little bare now… but with fall coming, I am sure I will add some decor and such out there. I also need to make new cushions for my chair. NEW to the balcony space though… is a bird feed/ water station that we’ve clamped onto the balcony railing. I don’t know that the birds have found it yet…. but it’s cool.

And of course, I’ve continued with my 365 photo project… .and my random shots from the studio. This week on my studio Facebook page, I also included photos of a couple necklaces I made years ago… sort of as a ‘throwback’. It’s always a good reminder (to me anyway) that I have made/ done stuff. … and try to live every day in a creative, colorful, and caring … fashion.

—> below: photo collections of my “random studio shot for the day”… and my 365 daily photos

week33

This week went by really quickly. …

This week has also felt very much like the prelude to FALL, if it weren’t so very hot out. But leaves have fallen in bucketloads, and others are turning .. or starting to turn to their fall colors. I don’t know if it’s because I am older, (or getting older)… but this week has been rough. Stress, lots of thinking…. anxiety…. old stories coming to the surface and demanding attention. I need to get back ‘in the groove’ of creating… but I also need to develop some energy to do that. I will get there.

This week/ weekend, we did manage to get ‘out and about’ a bit… to the shops… to get ice cream…. to get some CBD gummies…. to drop off things for donation. I also got my hair cut… and got a message… and even went to my favorite diner here for some awesome steak and eggs. I even made a doctor appointment… which is only 2 yrs later than I intended… but alas.

In the meantime, here are photo collections of my “random studio shot for the day”… and my 365 daily photos (at the bottom).

week32

Another week has flown by….. and I’ve scarcely anything to show for it. Usually, I at least console myself with saying that the place is clean… but after accidently seeing what the transom window ledge, and the top of my bookcases look like… I don’t think I can say that… at least not this week. And I should have deep cleaned, or worked on deep cleaning the apartment, as my niece and her kiddos are in the area on a small vacation… but alas… that also did not happen. What did happen, is that I’ve been working on things to help control chronic pain issues… but all I’ve found is that if the pain is gone… I’m asleep. And if there is pain… I am too anxious and miserable to do much beyond the minimum. All that said…. I did get much more rest this week…. and even lost more than a day to an inadvertent 24+ sleep and fast. Thanks “highly concentrated” CBD.

But. This am, I am up after about 4hrs of (mostly) sleep…. have made coffee… emptied the dishwasher, and am watching the day unfold out past the edge of our balcony. Which also, reminds me to mention that the Carolina Wrens (and whatever babies they had), have left the nest. Sadly. But I think they had a good time here, and at least they were relatively safe and sheltered.

I’ve had this overwhelming sense of dying (for awhile now). Before you get ‘worked up’… no, am not actively suidical. At least, I don’t think so. But I have been more accutely aware of how short life truly is… how much capacity we have for both love and pain…. sadness…. and joy. I am sure I could easily see the connections to what is going on politically, and with current human existence…. what we have done to the Earth and it’s inhabitants…. but, then I get really depressed. So no. I worry for the future. Alot. My own, sure… but moreso… for those left to work on what we (collectively as humans) have done. And I am anxious and fretful that we ‘fix our house’ before it’s too late… but perhaps it already is. With so many ( with power and influence ) who care very little about life beyond the reach of their own arms… it’s hard. And yes, I am proactive and try to do what I can. Perhaps, we are all heading down the road of the DoDo… and maybe, that is as it should be. Hopefully, if there is a ‘next time’… we will do better. In the meantime, I will continue to effect change, and to promote all that is good… artful… and beautiful…. as I am able.

Below: Photo collage of my daily photos/ 365 project. for the week & Photo collage of my ‘random studio shots’ for the week

week31

Well, there is assuredly an ebb and a flow to things… This past week wasn’t so much as a backwards step… as it was sort of an idle. A stop along the way. I’d love to be journaling here all the great things I accomplished this week…. but I’ve got nada. I did wake to some extremely wilted and sad looking plants on the balcony… and rushed to give them some water. And early this morning it rained…. softly and steadily… which is so very much appreciated.

Photo collages below of my 365/ snapshot for the day postings, and my ‘random studio shot for today’ off of my business page.

week30

It’s been a full moon week….. and I hope there has at least been a subtle shift in the energy.

It’s been hot. Really hot. And we desperately need some more rain. This weekend, it really ‘hit home’ how very hot and dry it’s been, as so very many of the leaves on the trees here have started dropping in sheets onto the ground. It’s like it’s fall out there…. but HOT. It’s very strange.

Because of the heat and my lack of energy (and not feeling well… and it still be a COVID buffet out there in the world)… I’ve really just been hanging out at home. The Carolina Wrens seem to be doing ok… I often see ‘dad’ coming back and forth to the nest in the Snake Plant pot on our balcony.. and I am assuming that ‘mom’ is in the nest… with at least some eggs. I haven’t heard the chirps of baby birds… but I also haven’t really been going out there at all except to water plants and rush back in… as I don’t want to freak the bird parents out. But everything seems to be doing alright, and with liberal watering when I do go out… the plants seem to be doing well in spite of the heat.

I have managed to keep up with the household stuff… and do some cooking, etc. But I have been focusing this week on resting, and trying to get some semblence of a sleep routine down. Now. All that said… I failed miserably. For one, Jim’s work schedule dramatically changed, and he ended up working long, late hours instead of his usual daytime routine. It was hard on him physically, as he is just not geared to working evening and night shifts, and he often has heart arrythmias as a result of fatigue and disruptions in his usual sleep. But. He did well, and, in theory at least, he is done with that sort of thing … at least for now. My body, decided this week that it can only sleep in 4hr swatches… so I’ve been doing this cha-cha of sleeping for 4hrs… being awake for 8hrs or so… and then sleeping for 4hrs…. cha cha cha. It’s been interesting. And wonky. But at least I am sleeping.

The other issue weighing heavy on me…. is that I have had a couple necklaces to restring for a friend that I have had for far-too-long… that I just haven’t gotten to. Between physical issues…. anxiety and depression… I just haven’t made anything in a long while. And I got into this viscious overthinking tornado — fear of messing up —- not having energy — guilt of not doing and letting people down — sort of spiral. BUT. This week I got both the necklaces fully taken apart (they were already broken and somewhat in pieces), laid out, and reconstructed with new… stronger materials, clasps and findings. …. .as well as photographed and (thankfully) approved by my friend. Which means… for all intents and purposes… I am caught up. At least in the sense of…. I have no obligations at the moment to anyone for jewelry, etc. And that, at the moment, is everything.

—————————————————————————————————————-

Below are photo collages (1) of my daily photos (my 365 project that I’ve done for years and years)… (2) a photo collage of ‘daily studio shots’ … which I’ve been doing for a couple months as a way to highlight creative endeavors in our new studio/ office space (and to spur me into at least doing something creative)… and (3) photos of each of the necklaces I did for my friend.

(The carnelian necklace: vintage necklace, hand knotted on string with a screw type gold clasp. But several beads had broken, knots had slipped or completely come undone… and she wasn’t a fan of the clasp. Now it’s on strong, sterling silver softflex wire, with tiny Baltic Amber beads for spacers, and a gorgeous handmade. solid sterling hook and rings clasp. The multi-strand necklace: also vintage, but broken. Had a brass toggle clasp that she wasn’t fond of. So it was restrung on sterling softflex wire, and because the metal beads in the mix were aged brass, I added an aged brass lobster claw clasp. Both are long style necklaces, the Carnelian one is about 30 inches long, and the multistrand is about 34 inches long. Both necklaces were double crimped on the ends, and wire guardians added to help strengthen and add durability for the necklaces for years to come.

week29

Another week has gone by, and I am still in sort of a ‘holding pattern’.. or so it feels. It’s not necessarliy a bad place to be… just one where I am not getting much in the way of tangible things done.

The ‘studio” side of the combined studio/ office space is fairly done, as far as. … the bulk of things that need to be in this room, are there. But I haven’t had the energy to organize further, or bring more things in from the storage closet. The space itself here feels very welcoming… I just haven’t had the energy to do much.

The first photo on today’s post, shows a newly hatched-from egg that Jim found outside his workplace the other day, and brought home to show me. I am fairly confident that there are eggs in the nest that the Carolina Wrens have built in my snake plant/ pot on the balcony…. but I haven’t ‘‘rooted around’ in there to find out for sure, as I don’t want to disturb the birds.

What I have been doing, this week and weekend, was trying to titrate a dose of pain relieving CBD tincture in my system…. enough meds to keep my back from screaming at me… and yet, not so much pain relief that I ‘zone out’ and don’t get anything done. And of course, meds wear off fairly quickly, so the process repeats quite easily… until all this time has passed…. and well… not much is done. And while having these periods of profound pain relief is awesome… and welcome… it also means I haven’t gotten much accomplished. And that, is frustrating.

And of course, here are the photos from my daily 365 project that I have had ongoing now, for years and years. And at the bottom, are my ‘random studio shot for the day’ selections for this past week.

week28

I think this week I’ve been in a sort of ‘holding pattern’….. just treading water with things. Not really getting much done beyond the usual daily stuff…. but ‘working’ at resting more and such.

I think it’s probably all good…. but it does mean that I really don’t have anything ‘worthy’ to talk about. We did go out this weekend long enough to get some groceries… and to take a much appreciated stop at Barnes & Noble, as well as a ‘quick’ stop into Michael’s craft stores.

The gardenia is done blooming for the summer, I think. There were 2 more buds, but I woke to both of them having fallen off this am. I think it’s just been too hot for them. As far as I know, there are eggs in the Carolina Wren’s nest that has taken over the Snake Plant pot. I did glance up at our balcony from the parking lot this weekend, as we were going out and about…. and it made me really happy to see how lush and green our balcony space looks. And it does.

Below are photos from my daily 365 project, and below that, are my ‘random studio shot(s)’ for the past week. And the photo at the header of this post, is our ‘new’ dining space…. now that the art is pretty much all in place, the table is back where it belongs, and we have nice comfy chairs that I bought off the internet.

Stay safe out there friends, and I’ll see you here next week.

week27

Happy July!

I hope you all had a great long weekend. I must admit, for the most part, Jim and I just lazed about the apartment. … enjoying good food, extra sleep… and maybe a movie or two. It’s been about a month since our oldest ‘offically’ moved out… and the office/ studio space is coming together nicely. We got some more pieces hung on the walls, so I think most all the art we own, that is framed… is up now. And that feels really good. We have a box of (mostly) art that I need to donate someplace… along with some household stuff I’ve decided we no longer need. It’s been nice having a dining area that functions as a dining area. Jim and I are actually eating at the table for the most part…. and that has been a real treat. Plus, our new dining chairs are pretty comfy >>wink<<

The plants on the balcony are doing really well. I harvested some of the herbs, so if we happen to go to the local nursery, I can pick up a few more to plant…. or just call it ‘done’ for the season. The gardenia has had 9 gorgeous blooms…. and one currently in bloom. 4 have fallen off (a long time ago). And I think there are 2 more coming?! we’ll see. The snake plant is growing like crazy, in spite of the fact that some Carolina Wrens have decided to build their nest in that pot. I think there might be eggs… as I see ‘mom’ coming and going. So far, she has been tolerant of me coming in and out to water plants… but I am also very careful to only go out there once a day, so as not to freak the birds out.

Not much else, the ‘kids’ seem to be doing fine … which is always a big relief as a mom. I haven’t worked on any jewelry this week… but I’ve also been concentrating on resting more, now that I’ve been able to sleep a bit this week. It was also the ‘anniversary’ of my dad’s birthday… so, there was some sentimentality and grief there. And frustration with all the fireworks and such that people are doing ( I get why friends/folks out west are so upset, especially with the potential for bad fires). I worry for the future of the planet… but seriously moreso about this country. >>sigh<< But —Jim and I are also planning/ plotting/ hoping for a small vacation this fall…. up to Maine. I have wanted to see Acadia National Park forever…. and we have the means and opportunity now… so we are going for it. And hopefully, potentially, a couple ‘side quests’ as well.

Below are collections of photos…. our new combined office/ studio space… Jim’s office side. A collection of my daily random studio shots, and photos from my 365 daily photo project that I’ve had going for the past 10yrs or so….

week26

Another week has completely flown by.

I’ve done all the ‘usual’ things… cooking, cleaning, watering plants, etc. For some reason though… I have been dead tired all week. So, I’ve been making a point to lay down whenever it hits me, and so my sleep has been erratic… but better, I think. I think on some level, my body is trying to ‘catch up.’

What else? Jim’s work schedule will be a bit wonky for a week d.t. a specific project he’s working on. I am a little concerned as he tends to have heart arrythmias when he is overly tired…. and because of changes in his work schedule… it might effect it.

Lots of the items I ordered have come in… which means I’ve been slowly ‘tweaking’ the apartment a little. Organizing the cupboards a bit, that sort of thing. This weekend, I dragged in some of the art that we’ve had in storage .. and have been placing some of it around…mainly in the new studio/ office space. We still have some pieces that I intend to mat and frame… which will take a little longer.

Also, as of this weekend…. we have a pair of Carolina Wrens that are making a nest in one of the plants I have on the balcony. I’ve tried to limit going out there so as not to freak them out, as their nest is right by my coffee-drinking chair. But. The plants look good, and other than watering them, I can be in and out. The gardenia is really doing well, and has multiple blooms on it. (see collage of gardenia photos from this week, below).

Jewelry wise, I haven’t really done much. I did a couple pair of earrings for friends… and I have a couple necklaces to restring for another friend…but otherwise, I’ve just cluttered up my workbench going thru some of the supplies. Last weekend was when I normally would have had my monthly trunk show, but it just didn’t pan out. I think perhaps, I will concentrate on some ‘mini-collections’ that I can post each week. … at least for the summer.

I have started though… I new ‘series’ of posts on my Adiantum Facebook page, of a random photo of the studio space… each day. (see collage of those photos below).

I (of course) have continued my photo a day thing… (photos from this past week are in the collage at the bottom of this post).

week25

So. It’s been a week now, that we’ve had the apartment ‘to ourselves’… and I gotta be honest, I haven’t done much. I’ve moved things around a little… and certainly had intentions of doing more… but life got in the way, and my sleep schedule has been really rough.

I did order some new things… some bakeware, an over-the-door shoe rack, a couple little area rugs, and new dining room chairs (2 nice upholstered chairs like I used to have). Jim got a new gaming/ office chair… and it’s really lux. I also ordered a side table that will match the one we have in the living room… but will hold the printer and office supplies in the studio/ office. Because it’s from a family business that makes these pieces from scratch… it will take a couple months before it gets here. I also hope to ‘weed’ thru the things we currently have in the apartment, and see if there is anything that need to find a new home elsewhere.

What else? Other than trying to sleep, and working around scant hours of sleep…. let’s see. I’ve made food. I’ve ordered food. I did the housekeeping/laundry/dishes/ cleaning type stuff. The gardenia plant on the balcony is blooming!!! As of this morning, there are 6 buds that have bloomed… and at least 5 more coming. It is truly amazing. And.. we had a family get-together with Jim’s 2 surviving brothers and their wives (and some of the kids). It was good to see everyone.

I (of course) have continued my photo a day thing… (photos from this past week are in the collage below). And … I made some earrings. … although I have SO very many things in the works…it’s just a matter of finding the energy to do them.

week24

It’s been an interesting week.

The kids came for a visit, and gathered up a few of the things they had ‘stored’ here at the aparment, and took it back to PA with them a couple days later. It was awesome to see them… and I am constantly marveled at what good humans they are… and the mark they are leaving on this world.

It also means… that Jim and I now have the apartment ‘to ourselves’ …. so to speak. We have also gained an additional room. So. The past couple days have been spent clearing the energy… and then moving all Jim’s office type stuff from the bedroom (desk, artwork, computer, filing cabinet, sheleves, etc) into the 2nd bedroom and configuring it so it takes up roughly half of the space in there. Then, we moved all my studio stuff that has previously been occupying the ‘dining area’ section of our apartment… into the 2nd bedroom… aligning it so that it too, takes up about half of the room. And taDa…. we now have a shared office/studio space.

We also moved the dining table (which had previously been in the 2nd bedroom and was being used as sort of a worktable)… into the dining area. I have ordered 2 upholstered chairs to complement the dining table…. and plan on moving the art around a bit… but that area is on it’s way; even though it looks tragically empty at the moment.

Now. We still have a storage closet (7x6 feet?) that is (mostly) jam packed with photos/memorabilia/slides on shelves that need scanned and converted to digital files…. alot of fabric and sewing stuff in tubs….. packing materials for my Etsy shop, all my collage/paint/ craft stuff….extra art…. and my ‘cabinet of curiosities’ jars. It will take me awhile to sort thru it…. find place for some of it in the apartment….. or gift it/sell it….. but at least it will (in theory) be more managable. And hopefully, I am in the proper ‘headspace’ now to address it all and deal with it.

In other ‘news’….. it’s been raining the better part of this week (and last night we had a BIG storm and some flash flooding in some areas). —And it’s been hot & humid. Which means that the plants have been loving life. The gardenia blooms look great… and while every day I look to see if they’ve bloomed, they just keep getting bigger and bigger. So we’ll see.

—-photos below, are from my 365 project for the past week. Photo at the top of this post, is of cicada wings I’ve been gagthering in a little dish. I altered it (obviously)…. but I think it’s kinda cool.

—-also. This whole past week; metaphysically; has been a time of ‘endings’ and ‘beginnings’… which totally fits what actually happened in my life this week. Interesting how there is often synchronicity, if we take the time to look…

oh… and I made a bunch of jewelry :) see below…

week23

I’ve had sort of a rough week…. no real reason why… but I’ve been frustrated, angry… and not sleeping well overall. I’ve also had migraines for a several days… which I am attributing to barometric changes. The weather has overall, been quite hot and humid… but interspersed with bouts of rain and wind. As I said in a post on Facebook, it’s like someone changed the dial to full on “hot summer”….. and here we are. The good news in all this though, is that the plants on the balcony seem to be loving it all.

Because of the migraines, et all… my sleep schedule has been off again… which means I am sleeping in little 4hr-ish bursts. It also means, that because I’ve been really tired, I haven’t really gotten much of anything done. Yes, I am keeping up with the household chores, etc… but not much more than that. Of course, I am still taking/ editing/posting photos every day as part of my 365 project (photos below)…

I’m also still ‘behind’ on a few jewelry making projects, and this is frustrating me no end. I want to do them… I think about doing them…. but can’t seem to do them or get them done. I did however, get a couple pair of earrings made…. just for fun (and to hopefully get myself back into some sort of groove)… and they both sold right away, so that is encouraging.

…but overall, I am just really missing being near the water. I hope to go back soon….

(the photo at the top of this post, is of a gorgeous large white magnolia. Taken on our vacation to VA Beach, but edited just now for this post)

week22

I’ve kinda been putting off doing this post, I think, because it brings home the realization that we are no longer at the oceanside. This makes me incredibly sad. I am grateful to have been able to go, for sure. But every time I am able to be near the water, it reinforces the idea that I really need to be closer to a large body of water. I feel better physically, and certainly, emotionally.

We got home last Monday evening. Since then…. I’ve been slowly getting myself sort of back into a routine here. But the past couple of days I have found myself increasingly stressed and angry… not sleeping, easily irritated. Not sure why…. but friends have pointed out astrological reasons (the lunar eclipse, mercury in retrograde, etc.)…. and it does make more than a little bit of sense. All that said… I’ve also been slowly editing some photos from our trip… and I hope to eek them out over the next several weeks or so, as I am able.

I still have a couple projects to finish for a couple friends…. but then I hope to get back in the swing of making some new jewelry pieces…. especially some pieces with summer in mind… lots of shells and sea glass, perhaps leather…. we’ll see.

In the meantime. …. here is a collage of some of our vacation photos…

and my photos for the month of May (my 365 photo project).

week21

so… this is going to be a short “week”… in that we went on a long weekend vacation starting on Friday, and I want to include all the vacation pics in the same weekly post. It just seems to make more sense to me….

The week prior to going on vacation was a mix of anxiety… stress… anticipation… and hope. I was very anxious to go, but also had some reservations about leaving for several days. I know, odd. And I can’t explain it. I desperately wanted to go…. and yet, was concerned about leaving. Go figure. The upshot, was that everything was fine…. the anxiety was unnecessary and unfounded…. and we had an awesome time.

I had also hoped to get all the projects that were unfinished, finished….. and that didn’t happen either, as I still have pieces for a couple friends sitting on my bench. But alas. All is ok. Or rather, it is what it is. I did get all the PRIDE inspired pieces of jewelry listed in my Etsy shop. There is (currently) a TON of beads and such all over my bench awaiting ‘playtime’…. and there will be lots of fun items (I hope) coming soon….

week20

This has been sort of an uneventful week…. and I am grateful. My days have been filled with reading, sitting on my balcony….cooking and just putzing around the apartment. It’s been a welcome reprieve … and one I appreciate. The balcony plants seem to be doing well…. and I’ve been enjoying the (many) birds that frequent the trees right in front of our space. I’ve also started taking some additional herbal/homeopathic tinctures that I think have been helping…. mostly with anxiety and PTSD issues.

Last weekend, we came across a small carnival set up in a shopping mall parking lot. It was fantastic! and I took several photos. But knowing how mobile these little carnivals are, imagine my surprise when it was still there this weekend. And this time, I was able to get a couple photos (and a video I posted on Facebook) of the Ferris Wheel as it was getting dark. Here are the photos from my photos for the day, from this week.

I also made up some jewelry for PRIDE coming up. Normally, I would be having a Trunk Show for this month… this coming weekend. BUT. This coming weekend is around our anniversary, so I will be busy. So instead, I’ve listed these items on my Adiantum page on Facebook… and will have a mini show early in June. The ‘theme’ for the coming show is BEACH! and I will be showcasing items with sea glass/ frosted glass/ recycled glass. I will also be listing the items (below) that haven’t sold into my Etsy shop…. but I like to offer them to friends/ followers on Facebook first. And… I love the large hoops. I may have to keep those.. we’ll see.