Tiny Tuesday!

Last Christmas, Tom received several small wooden puzzles from Debby, Tim, and me. They come in their own wooden box with a picture of the completed puzzle, and many of the pieces are cut into the shapes of animals, like this. (I should have photographed them with something to give you a better idea of their tiny scale.)

This is the first of his puzzles he’s done: an octopus.

He said assembling this type of puzzle requires a different process from the usual puzzles we do. I think the end result is beautiful, and I look forward to seeing the others.

Saturday stuff


Today I spent time outside with the dogs and got rid of a couple of dead plants. We got them through winter, but the drought finally took them. 🙁


While I was watching the next-to-last season of “Suits,” I started working on patching the dog quilt that’s so tattered. (Happy International Dog Day!) There’s a white rectangle, stained with rust stains probably from what it was stored with when we flooded, I don’t know, as well as having worn and torn spots. I’m going to cover that entire white rectangle with plaids and prints. I estimate it will take around 36 new squares to cover it. I got the four corners done today (three squares each), so that leaves 24 more to sew on.


Here’s a green plaid square that I sewed on today. Jim said he remembers when this fabric used to be a pair of my PJ pants. I keep fabric like this to use for doll clothes, but it’s coming in handy for this quilt restoration.

After the white rectangle is covered, I’ll begin repairing the squares on the rest of the quilt that are no longer stitched down, or are frayed and may need replacing.

The final season, of “Suits” is not on Netflix. Fortunately, it’s on another streaming service that Tom subscribes to, so I should be able to finish it. No big deal.

When I ran out of episodes and took breaks from quilt repair, I continued to re-read the sixth book in the Neverending Saga. And I realized I missed a huge opportunity to write a good chapter. So… guess I’ll be editing it more than I expected. Which is cool. Mercury retrograde is a great time to finish it and not a great time to start writing the seventh.

Today…

It rained at our house. Houston has gone 47 days without rain. I guess we have to redefine “subtropical.”

We were very grateful. Houndstooth Hall has lost botanicals, despite watering, but the trees around the property are okay. A normal fall season would be welcome (I do NOT consider hurricanes normal).

one of the best hounds of them all

Tim posted this to his Instagram account today.


My comment:

I thought I’d share a few of those photos. I know how many of you have lost your own best companions. It’s a sad group to be part of, but the endings can never be as powerful as the time we get to share with our beloved dogs, cats, and other animal friends.

Pixie, Christmas 2011

Continue reading “one of the best hounds of them all”

Tiny Tuesday!

Today was a day of being close with friends when we said a hard goodbye. Not my place to share this publicly yet, but I wanted to mark the date.

Interestingly, a winged visitor joined us in the early evening as we sat outside (a rare opportunity this summer; shade and a breeze made it possible). I had hoped that distant cry heralded an arrival, and then a very large crow landed in the tallest tree just outside the back of our property. Some say crows are bad omens. Not to me. I think they bring a little magic and sometimes a message. I felt like he confirmed my choice to begin the next book with my “crow” character.

I want to do more thinking and reflecting–timely, as Mercury goes retrograde mid-afternoon tomorrow (thanks, Pat!). For me, Mercury retrograde provides an opportunity to pause. It also reminds me to make sure my actions are aligned with my intentions. Of course, any of us can do this any time. Mercury just makes me mindful of it.

Adding a couple of tiny reminders of a love that made me laugh.

Mood: Monday

This work is in the public domain.

Wheatfield with Crows, © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
oil on canvas, 1890
Vincent Van Gogh, Netherlands

From the museum’s website:
Wheatfield with Crows is one of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings. It is often claimed that this was his very last work. The menacing sky, the crows and the dead-end path are said to refer to the end of his life approaching. But that is just a persistent myth. In fact, he made several other works after this one.

Van Gogh did want his wheatfields under stormy skies to express ‘sadness, extreme loneliness’, but at the same time he wanted to show what he considered ‘healthy and fortifying about the countryside’.

Van Gogh used powerful colour combinations in this painting: the blue sky contrasts with the yellow-orange wheat, while the red of the path is intensified by the green bands of grass.

I picked this today because of something I’m planning to write. I imagined a scene over a year ago with no thought of this painting. But once the painting came up in today’s searches, I can see it’s the perfect inspiration.

Button Sunday

Balance.

Once again, I had to clear some saved stuff off my phone. You can see it all behind the cut if you’re so inclined. Just things that caught my eye or made me pause and think for a moment. A lot of times, these things I save make me think more about my characters or other people than about myself. I’m always looking for more wisdom, regardless, so I always hope something resonates with people who read here. =)

Continue reading “Button Sunday”