Slouching towards health

So I have the go ahead to resume walking and free weights, in an attempt to recover my energy, which has gone walkabout.  Weights went okay yesterday, workout divided into two shorter sessions.  

But walking, or rather staggering, around the block takes more stamina, it seems.  Handsome Partner, in the days when he could still more or less walk used to say,well, I'm off for a little stumble, see you in a few minutes!  He definitely came to mind as I trudged around, stopping gratefully every few minutes to take pix of the last flowers of the year with bees still putting in their workday.

Some of these are just plain lovely to enjoy, with the fall tree colors, and some, the fallen wild cherry logs with lichen all over them, are great design suggestions.  Reminds you of Kaffee Fassett, who's very keen on lichens.

Diwali comes home to the Dollivers

Close friend Girija invited me across the street a little while ago, saying I have something you will just LOVE, brought from India yesterday. 

Evidently her husband, on a flying visit to India to settle his father back there at home, had been instructed to pick up various packages shopped for by G's craft-loving sister.  And there was a wonderful treasure trove of seed beads in wonderful colors, flat sparkly gems for shisha work, gold and silver thread, oh gosh, what a treat.  All for me!

When husband R.  stopped off in HongKong on business on his way back, he'd had to offload some weight, since the amounts are smaller from HK to the US than from India, but he was strictly instructed to KEEP my things, no matter what else went!

So I'm blessed with all these good wishes, and the accessories for my future stitching adventures.  Also some Indian sweets to celebrate Diwali which starts late next week and goes on for several days.

We have new neighbors, replacing the old friend who moved away, an Indian family who instantly decorated for Diwali, including chalked drawings on their threshold, very traditional designs.

Oh, the Dollivers are thrilled that I'm recovering to the point of considering their plans for my beads...they are jonesing for Diwali outfits now.  We'll see.

Been on hiatus!

Longest break in the history of my blogging, alas, accommodating having pneumonia, and with any luck I'm on the way out of the valley of the shadow. Not fun at all, but neighbors bringing soup and doing errands and son checking in a lot, were all a great help, and the antibiotic is supposed to work, too.  So I'm almost back.

Looked out this afternoon and there's a squirrel noshing away on my decorative pumpkin.  Bits all over the step.  I explained to him it's decor, not food, and he waved a paw at me.

Stitching days back at the ranch..

To see the latest stitching adventures and exploits of my embroidery buds, go here:

http://princetonega.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-general-meeting-of-our-guild.html 

If a cat did this..

You'd call it displacement activity.  It's the sort of thing you do when you can't think what to do, sometimes because there's so much to do, and an upcoming recital to be nervous and anxious about, why did I agree to it, why was I born, etc.  

Sometimes it's in the course of recovering from a nasty reaction to the high dose flu shot, which involved checking in with the CDC, my doctor, the place where I got the shot, and is taking its time going away and hitting my energy and my optimism, too.  And right now it's all of the above.

Anyway, here's my current displacement activity, to wit:

One needlecase from scraps of felt and canvas, stenciled and drawn with metal pens, one cellphone purse, made from a leather patch (thank you, Judy, again) which I folded, stitched and painted, one scarf thing I made for the  top of my bedroom curtains, from items found at the thrift store yesterday.   And the gangshot is of the Heap o' Dolls, Elton's glee club, all piled up on his piano.  

These items are all in the same part of the house, the Ds rocker now in state in my bedroom, complete with conservatory greenery they require, Elton on the bookcase over to the right of this.  They claim it was all their idea, if you like it, that is. If not, it was Boud's doing.

Silly stuff!  I'm easily amused.

Freecycle meets embroidery

Through a great freecycle, thank you again, I accepted  custody -- you never really own designs and concepts -- today, of a fabulous treasure trove of cross stitch magazines, thread counters, charts and small kits, and have been totally engrossed in looking and leafing and planning and thinking.  Some of this will come with me to the embroiderers' guild meeting to give as presents, some will go to other friends, some will stay with me.


And some are already on my agenda of items to get to after the current stitching is done.  I like to see how designs can be changed and adapted to other embroidery forms.  Cross stitch can often be needlepoint or surface embroidery, with a bit of thought and planning.  Or it can suddenly demand to be goldwork, if I'm involved in it.