No Sewing, So Just Plant Pictures

We've had a couple days of clouds and showers and I took these pictures the other morning. Don't you love it when water beads up on leaves like this?



These leaves are Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta), so this is not a small drop of water.

I spent a while wiggling it around on the leaf. 

 
Yes I do have too much time on my hands and yes I do need a job.  I'll try to be more productive today.  I'm debating on whether or not to do the polar bear plunge into the swimming pool this morning.  The temp is only 52 degrees.  I think I'll ride my bike later on instead.  --cds

Back To Basic Applique

While I wait to order the backing fabric for a large fall-ish looking quilt I just made, I needed to do some handstitching.  When I lose the calluses on my fingertips, I know I've been neglecting my handstitching.

 This may look like just a basket of stems...

well, it is just a basket of stems. 

But in a day or two it will be filled with lots of appliqued hot-colored Florida flowers and leaves.  And some embroidery.  And maybe some beads.  I'm all about embellishment these days.  I'll try to restrain myself from giving it a glitter dusting.

--cds

Dog In The Yard

This is Mikey, my Aunt Claud's dog.

He comes over to visit when Uncle John is fixing something at our house (my dishwasher works again!).  Mikey has become a very popular dog in this neighborhood where EVERYONE (except us) has a dog or two.  Mostly the dogs are of the teensy yappy variety, so long-legged supermodel Mikey stands out anyway.  Plus he is too cool to bark at the mere mundane.  He just nods to the passersby who call out to him by name.  --cds

Shame On Me

Don't you just hate it when your very favorite blogger falls off the map and disappears from the Internet?  You get used to enjoying morning coffee along with her daily posts and photos of creative endeavors or exciting adventures.  And then - poof - she's MIA.  Is she dead?  Sick?  Has real life become just too much?   I have no such excuse.  I'm blaming it on the January blahs, a holdover from my Vermont days.  That and the fact that this is about the most interesting picture I took in January:

It's the underside of our recliner that popped a spring and we needed to document the repair process in case it happened again.  We did visit CityWalk at Universal - such a nice photo of Aunti Claud and Uncle John.

Also spent a whirlwind day at Magic Kingdom with them and the visiting wild women, cousins Terrie and Alicia and their friend Danielle (not caught in this pic):

 
Other than that I've just been drifting project-wise, starting things and not finishing, not really focusing on anything in particular.  I did pull out these color blocks I pieced a while ago:

and I have a collection of these carved wooden birds made by Vermont artist Gary Starr:

so I was thinking about somehow attaching them and making some sort of wall hanging:

I'll see if I can focus on that this week.  I'll be back tomorrow, I promise.  --cds

C'est Magnifique

I've been immersed in this bio of Gerald and Sara Murphy - "Everybody Was So Young-A Lost Generation Love Story" by Amanda Vaill.  I really, really like it tho I'm only half-way through.  They've just moved to Paris, so in my head I'm doing a lot of speaking my Pepe Le Pew version of French words.  This between-the-wars time period (1920's-30's) always fascinates me for some reason - so much was going on in art and music and writing, not to mention state-side finances and Prohibition, all that stuff.  I need to live in a library.

I could write lots, but haven't the time right now, on hundreds of related subjects - why I love Hemingway but can't read his novels, how funny was Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," am I too old to become an art historian.  Right now I need to finish the laundry and clean up the sewing studio.  Ho-hum.  --cds

Catching Up

The Grim Death Plague has tag-teamed its way through our abode this past week, but we are finally revived, eating normally, and back to a more natural skin tone (not pale green).  Overnight temperatures have been 40's, 50's - in fact there was a bit of frost two nights, but the days warm up nicely.  That means, however, early morning swimming has been out of the question.  I'm not that tough. 

I did get a batch of recent Ruthanne pictures.  She apparently has decided to become a circus performer.  Here she is practicing her acrobatic horse-riding:

Ta-Da!

And she does impressions.  This is Julia Child - "First, you place your Ruthie in the stewpot."

Here is her impression of Daddy, in Daddy's chair, with Daddy's remote:

And her impression of Mommy talking on the phone, probably discussing the laundry.

So cute.  I have to collect updated pics from the Utah girlies.  They've had a busy holiday season with Utah family, but I believe there are some recent dance recital photos floating about.  I'm on the job. --cds

The New Courtesy

Telephone:    Ring-g-g-g!

Me:    Hello?

Me:    Hello???

Voice:    Is James there?

Me:    Not right now.  Who's calling?

Voice:    This is just a courtesy call.   (Voice hangs up.)

THAT was a courtesy call?  Sounded distinctly DIScourteous to me.  Oh, the changes that will occur when I become Empress of the Universe.  --cds