summer flowers

summer flowers

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Limbo

I have had a hard time the last couple of months, physically, mentally and spiritually.  My physical problems a minor compared to so many people, but they slowed me down.  I feel like I have done less than I should and the studio that I teach at has been fighting to maintain.  We found out that we lost the case, so I don't know if I will be able to continue teaching there...do I place my worth as the business I do...does the title of teacher constitute my self worth?  And I have not been able to find my camera for a month...what did I do with it?

The end of September we had a great time in southern Utah.  We planned to camp at Bryce National Park, and stopped at Cedar Breaks National Monument on the way down.  The aspen trees were beautiful in transition to fall and the area is volcanic so the contrast with the lava rock was beautiful.
Lava and aspen trees
We were lucky to get a camp site in the park...thanks to my son and DH's efforts.  It is great to be in the park so that an early morning walk puts you at the edge of the basin to see the sun rise and the deer eating, or evenings watching the sun set.
Our tent and sunset view
Deer mom and twin fawns
I spent one morning watching a small herd of deer with a pair of fawns...they are hard to photograph with my skills and they blend in with the background, but they were fun to watch.

My son tried to get some long exposure star pictures with the hoodoos as foreground, but the weather did not cooperate and the clouds came in to mess it up.  As usual, he did get some great pictures...how can you not in a place like this.
Bryce National Park
On one of the sunrise walks, I slipped in a wet sand area, it had been raining the night before.  My feet went out from under me and I hit hard, first hip, then shoulder, then head.  I don't think I lost consciousness, but I saw stars.  Amazing, just like the cartoons from my childhood, I really saw stars!  I spent the afternoon feeling pretty bad, nauseous and sleepy.  I managed to enjoy the rest of the time there, but I really cut back on what I was doing.

The month of October was a total blur.  I was teaching two or three nights a week and even four nights on a week or two.  I managed to get my class materials together and do well in the classes, but I spent almost all the rest of the day sleeping.  I may have had flu then too, I had some stomach problems, but maybe it was the after effects of the concussion.  When each class was finished, unfortunately, I just left the examples in a pile in my weaving studio, so I built a "pathway" room.  I could hardly move in there, that is what makes me feel like I did not do as much as I should and the room is still overflowing with things that need to be put away.

Classes finished in mid November, although I still maintained studio hours three days a week, and I started the holiday season.  We managed to get my mom to see the lights in the gardens at Thanksgiving Point and we had a great time with her.  Then we had her staying at our house for Christmas eve.  

I had fun bringing out my Christmas decorations and we bought a new lighted tree to put up.  (Last year I did not even put up a tree.)  This one was easy to put up and I prefer a man-made tree instead of a real one.  I miss the great smell of the real one, but I am not good at keeping them watered and I worry about fires.  I like to leave my decorations up until the 12th day of Christmas, so that makes a long time for a real tree.


I have been getting some weaving done for commission, and trying to learn about Crackle weaving.  I have kept the rigid heddle loom warped, at least one has had a piece on and sometimes both of them.  That is part of my problem, too many projects on too many looms.  Right now I have yardage on my big Mac, an old workshop piece on the baby Mac, scarves and shawls on the Baby Wolf, a rug on the studio Mac and a towel warp in Crackle to experiment with on the studio HD.  Then I have the pick-up scarf on the Cricket RH and I just put on a towel warp on the Flip RH.  Is that all the looms I am bouncing around?  Too many projects to think about and I am making myself a little scatter-brained.  I'm not even counting the non-weaving projects.

I want my camera...