Had an unexpected day off and tackled a few jobs with the best intentions but ended up blundering my way through them. Just one of those days, I guess. Went to Lowes early to avoid traffic and ended up in the Thomaston 4th of July parade. Tried to attach the ladder to my dock and watched one of my favorite earrings fall through the cracks and float away. Nothing quite like handling the drill with itty bitty drill bits and screws and washers and nuts over water in the 88 degree heat while being buzzed by a deer fly. Tried to attach the tightener to my new pulley clothesline and whapped myself in the face with the bitter end and now I look like I'm in a constant state of frown. Big red line down the middle of my mug. Went to get some water and dropped the glass in the sink and broke it. Tried to install some solar lights and broke two of them off trying to put them in the ground. Couldn't figure out why my front was soaking wet and finally figured it out when I set the watering can down on my newspaper and realized it was leaking. You get the idea . . .

work in progress

solar clothes dryer 

hotdogs on the 4th of July

Just checked and sure enough! Mercury is in retrograde until July 20th. Well, that explains a lot.

Sophie and I sat on the dock and watched a thunderstorm roll in last night.

 Pretty spectacular

 Started looking like a dog with misty breath

Blew through leaving us with a beautiful sunset

    HAPPY 4TH!!

Frida Quilt update

As Annie frantically sews the final borders on her quilt before she bolts back to Philly (and no one has EVER stitched in the ditch faster), I go out into my garden - rain has finally ended - and see it is about to burst into color.

Hot humid days are on the way so the blossoms will be busting out all over the garden and I wait with pleasant anticipation.

My beautiful fabulous niece, Annie, drove up from Philly for a sewing weekend with Zia (that's me!) Not really a weekend per se but my days off from work, so may as well be. So. Darn. Happy. to have her here!! First of all, she brought me my updated necklace, with the newest grandbabies added:  Roman, Benjamin, Michael. Nine altogether so a little disc was added to the middle. Here it is and I'm so happy to have it back. I treasure it most of all my jewelry. (and that's saying a lot because I do love my bling)

Annie brought her Elna and a bunch of fabric and finally embarked on the abstract Frida quilt that's been percolating in her mind for a few years now. We took time out only for a necessary trip over to Alewives and oysters at the Pub and then back to work. And, she was still working when I went to bed last night.

Here is what she has so far. I think it is so lovely. You can see the suggestions for flowers in the hair, eyebrows, necklace.

 Sophie, of course, slept through the whole thing. No surprises there.

I live my life to a soundtrack.  Enya before sleep. Deva Premal in the middle of the night. Singing to the girls when I open my eyes in the morning to the tails beating on the closet doors (rise and shine and give dog that glory glory or we're all in our places with bright furry faces). Virgil Flowers or Lucas Davenport in my earbuds while I take a walk, Morning Edition with my coffee and breakfast, The Takeaway while I get ready for work, The Diane Rehm Show or WCLZ when I'm on my way. If I'm working at home, Talk of the Nation, Speaking in Maine, Fresh Air, The World, All Things Considered. WBach all evening.

Overtop of this cacophony: my thoughts. My out of control thoughts. My not to be drowned out thoughts. What did they talk about on the radio today? I don't know. I didn't hear but every tenth word. My quest for life in the moment? Not.

NOTE:

So, Friday my affirmation reads, I practice forgiveness daily so that I am free to move beyond the past into the present moment.  And yesterday, I bless the past with love, take a deep breath, and move gently into the new. Today, it's Spiritual growth means that I start the forgiveness process. I love the feeling of freedom when I let go of my 'stuff'. Think the Universe is trying to tell me something? Jeezum

Today is the beginning of the Quilt Along with Michele Foster from Canada. This one is called, Aiming for Accuracy, because of all the points. Here is hers:  

It will take 16 sessions, going into October. I have no idea if I'll be able to keep up but I like the idea of it and I think I'll give it a shot. After all, I'm only 10 days behind right now. sigh  Listening to the Paul Parent Garden Club as I write this, catching about every word in ten. 

One day I have a luna moth at my window, the next day it's a slug.  Kind of a metaphor for life, no?

So crazy but I have the heat on this morning! Barely 60 degrees when the girls and I woke up to this foggy rainy morning.

rainy day walk with the girls

A luna moth visited us right before bedtime last night. One can certainly see how J.M. Barrie dreamed up Tinker Bell.

Especially in this third shot. wow

* * * * * * * 

And, I say hooray for the defeat of DOMA! So, to all the haters out there:  Why shouldn't same sex couples have the right to be married? They should be allowed to be just as miserable as you are.