Small Blessings

Day 27

Today’s blog will be short. It was a day of plans that did not quite work out the way I envisioned them. I will be fortunate to get a short blog up and continue my 365 days of blogging.

Halloween

As everyone prepared to celebrate Halloween, we made the drive to see our granddaughter and help her celebrate her birthday. When she was born, this day was transformed to be less about Halloween and more about her. Of course as children, they still celebrate Halloween, but for me, it is about this joyous beam of light that God brought into our lives.

We knew we could not spend a lot of time because they were going trick-or-treating and we had to get home for my husband to go to class. Unfortunately, I had a bit of a relapse and we had to cut our visit short. It was not the kind of day we usually have with them and that was disappointing but it could not be helped.

We have always loved Halloween. We do not decorate any more because we do not have trick-or-treaters where we live. We used to do it up big and had tons of kids come when we lived in more urban areas. I miss it, but not as much as my husband does. It was always his favorite holiday.

Letting Go

So, tonight I had to let go of the expectations I had for the day and just appreciate the blessings I had been given. At least we made the trip, saw our children, got hugs from both our grandchildren and watched our granddaughter open her gifts. It was a day of simply enjoying the bounty of small blessings with our family.

In this world at this time, I cherish these days of small blessings.

Nothing means more than this.

“Count your blessings and enjoy them.
Live, laugh and love.
Be kind and gentle.
This is life.” 
George Pornaris

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A Day of Reflection

Day 26

After a night of unrest and a mind full of too many thoughts, I felt I needed a day of reflection. I was in search of a reminder of the blessings I have received and a moment to breathe in nature. It was a glorious much needed day with my husband.

Today I will not bore you with a lot of words. Instead I will share with you the glory that is my home and hope that it does as much for you as it did for me.

Before we started our adventure, we went to vote. Please VOTE!!

The Blue Ridge Parkway

We got on the parkway near the Arboretum. It is such a calm and beautiful drive. There wasn’t a lot of color, but it is still beautiful just the same.

We stopped at several outlooks on our way. We met a cute couple from Cleveland and happily took photos of them at Haw Creek Overlook.

I even did a short video of the drive if you want to travel along with us.

We continued on and the colors got a little more vibrant as we ventured further north. The overlooks were simply gorgeous everywhere we stopped. Next stop was Craven Gap.

We took a few snapshots on the way a little further north.

We made a few more stops at overlooks until we reached Craggy Gardens. It is supposed to be one of the most beautiful stops on the highway for wild flowers and blooms during the spring and summer. Of course we are too late for that, but we enjoyed seeing the Catawba Rhododendron trunks devoid of most of their leaves. We did not make the 7 mile hike up to Craggy Dome or Craggy Pinnacle, but it is on our list for a future hike.

All in all it was a fabulous day of renewal. A day that I needed. A day that reminded me that we are small and our problems and worries are small. We just need to embrace one another in the best way we can.

On the way home, we went by the Biltmore and enjoyed a Winky Bar Sundae at The Creamery. We saw a beautiful piece of an almost hidden rainbow on the drive home and ended up seeing the sun setting just above the ridge as we took our last turn toward home. Mother Nature was showing off just a tad bit today. And I am thankful she did.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.
The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” 
John Muir

 

Downtime

Day 25

Day 25 — wow, that is almost a month. I must say this has been a little easier than I anticipated, but I still have 11+ months to go so I should not be getting too cocky about this yet. It has been good for me. My blog is like my best friend. I come here to unload my problems or just chat about my day.

I am still recovering from yesterday. I slept in fairly late, but I blame that on the medicine I took yesterday. I am feeling better, but still have moments here and there that let me know I am not yet recovered.

Taking it Easy

As I said, I got up late but managed to fix some breakfast for hubby and I. Just simple scrambled eggs and toast. It was nice to just sit together and chat for a few minutes. Just fixing a little breakfast took more energy than I thought, so I sat down and caught up on email and social media.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is coming up in a few days and I tried to recruit a few people to write along with me. So far, one person — everyone else — no cigar. I probably will not meet my goal, but I am going to give it a try. Who knows, I might just come up with the next great American novel.

I had an enjoyable video chat with my daughter and my youngest granddaughter who is home sick this week. Technology is amazing and I am always so excited to see her and see how much she has changed. She is at the age where every day it is some new word or new action. It fills my heart with such joy.

We had tuna salad for lunch and then I had a quick chat with my son who filled me in on all the fun of my granddaughter’s birthday party that we unfortunately missed. It’s always nice to chat with him, except that I learned my grandson is sick with a virus. At least it is nothing serious. My poor little ones!

Creating

Butter Bell

Today was the perfect day to pull out those watercolor pencils I bought. I have not tried to sketch anything in so long I was very tentative about it. I did play with some rough sketches a little. Results were not great, however, I am pleased with at least the effort. I know the more I practice the better it will be. I’ve not used watercolor pencils much so that will be a bit of a learning curve as well.

I created a new cover for my Facebook page that reflects how I am feeling about the hate so prevalent in our world right now. It makes me feel better to find some outlet to express how I feel, but I also know my vote is the most powerful action I can take.

After lunch I managed to take a few pictures of the rings I made in my ill-fated weekend workshop. They do not have the finish I would have liked, but I am happy with them just the same. At least I am creating again and that feels good.

I have a pot of chili on the stove simmering in preparation for dinner and hopefully some quarts to go into the freezer. I was inspired after hearing my good friend Lauren was enjoying some split pea soup. I love split pea soup but it is the one soup that always fails me!

All in all it was a good day of rest and creativity. A welcome respite from the chaos of the world.

How was your day?

“Rest and be thankful.”
William Wordsworth

 

 

 

 

Finding the Light

Day 24

Today was to be the second day of my much-anticipated workshop. I got up early not feeling quite right. I showered, got dressed and started on my way. About 10 minutes from home, I knew I should not be driving so I turned around and came home. It was disappointing, but as a good friend told me long ago, “Everything is as it should be”. I have repeated that to myself many, many times and today was no different.

My husband was kind enough to drive me over to my class so I could gather my materials and take care of loose ends. As we left the class, I received a text from my daughter that my granddaughter was ill and they had to take her to the emergency clinic. She will be okay, but my heart just aches.

As we drove, we passed this gorgeous tree. The light was hitting it from the back and it was just so beautiful. We stopped the car and took a picture of the tree. The light touched me. It was a reminder that even in our darkest hours, there is a sliver of light somewhere. It may be just a trickle, but it will be there.

Later we made a brief stop to enjoy an unplanned latte at a little coffee shop in Hendersonville. We sat out in the sunshine for a few moments and just talked. It was nice. I felt the sun on my shoulders and saw the light through the eyes of a very special man who just happens to love and care for me.

Friendship

Several good friends of mine are hurting tonight. My heart is heavy and hurting and I feel for everyone that is suffering even a little. It can be hard and everything can seem bigger when we feel alone. Life’s problems come in waves and none of us are immune to some dark days or sadness. Doesn’t make it any easier, though.

There is so much hate and violence in our country and in our world. Today, this little bit of a blog is all I can manage.

If you are hurting or feeling sad, I send you peace and comfort tonight. Hopefully we can all focus on that little trickle of light and hope for a better tomorrow.

“Sometimes, the best way to help someone is just to be near them.” 
Veronica Roth

Workshop Weekend

Day 23

What a beautiful morning to drive around the foothills. The sun was out and there was fog lifting out of the valleys. The morning was cool and the drive was nice because no one was on the road yet. It made me think I should get up and out early more often. It was a nice change from the rainy day we had yesterday.

I always love these drives. The sky is crisp and clear after a day that dropped 3.5 inches of rain in our area. It never got really warm today, but it was dry and clear so that made it a rather perfect kind of day.

Let’s Make Rings!

Today was the first day of my 2 day workshop with Molly. She’s so nice and so patient and so talented. There were five of us in the workshop plus Molly. After getting introductions and housekeeping out of the way, we all set about making a textured ring by hand hammering.

We were finished by lunch time. Everyone brings their own lunch and we sit around her dining room table and have lunch together. It’s a nice way to get to know everyone and just relax for a bit. After lunch it was back to the studio!

Spinner Ring

The rest of the class worked on making a pierced pendant piece which I had already done, so I worked independently in the afternoon making a spinner ring. This is two rings, one large enough to ‘spin’ around the other. I used the rolling mill to texture the outer ring and then hand-hammered the spinner ring. I felt good that I could do 98% of the work on my own.

Tomorrow, I need to flare out the outer ring so the spinner does not fall off. Then, voila! That will be project number two.

Day Two

Class starts a little later tomorrow so I will be able to enjoy two cups of coffee before leaving the house. I really do enjoy the drive and I get lost in the creative aspect of the work. The day flies by.

I am not sure what I want to make tomorrow. I might drill pebbles and stack them in a frame which is cool, or I might try to set one of the cabochons I cut. We shall see what tomorrow brings.

Now I am off to relax a little, have some dinner and a glass of wine then take a hot shower and get in bed early.

Jewelry pictures tomorrow!

“Sometimes you can’t see the road ahead but as you keep going, it gets clearer. Stay the course as the fog of life dissipates.”
Sanjo Jendayi