Life Lately... Where did February go?

What’s been going on? Is it really spring already? I have to say that, aside from not having any snow, I loved February and I'm still thinkin' about it. Good things happened! 

I got out with my camera.  A little bit.  This is still a struggle as it’s just so easy to shoot with my phone all the time.  I have to make a conscious effort to bring the “real” camera along when I go somewhere.  I’m wondering if it’s that I don’t like lugging around extra stuff (I don’t even really carry a purse.)  That said, my little Fuji XT1 is the size of my old 35mm which I used to take with me everywhere, so it's not like it's heavy or takes up tons of space.  I keep pondering these things as I go out for my walks.

I’ve been making an effort to get outside even when it’s cold, and it’s nice to have Griggs Reservoir right across the street. I love the moods of the water. One of my favorite images is of the ice forming again after one of the thaws we had.  I swear I could almost see it freezing right in front of me.

My big February happiness by a longshot was singing jazz at the St. Francis pasta dinner.  Yes I bought an Elvis mic!  Yes I took a bunch of selfies with it.  

Yes I wore my pillbox hat and false eyelashes for the show.  (Thanks, Ardell!)

It went so well!  I was so nervous that I’d forget the words at some point but I didn’t. I loved working with Tony Hagood on piano, and the accordion really sounded so perfect with "Moon River" and "La Vie en Rose."  Thank you, John Marazita!

I suppose I have to think about what’s next with all of this. An open mic somewhere?  Not sure.  But I am proud of myself for preparing.  A year ago I just had a dream, but now I have some songs to make it happen. It was on the bucket list to sing "La Vie en Rose" in French, and I did it.

News at home?  I ran for a seat on our condo board and got elected!  You’re lookin’ at The Landings’ new Vice President.  I love where we live.  This is the name tag I made and wore to the pre-election meet-and-greet.

Last month I finished the photographs and writing I needed to do to make a new webpage for Flying Adventures.  This was no small thing and had been on my to-do list forever.  I had to figure out how I wanted to print and frame book pages and do some serious thinking about where I want to bring the project and what would make a venue want to host it.  There’s information about the whole project now, including how I can tie a reading & exhibition into educational programming and community outreach.  I am proud of myself for continuing on with this despite how loooong it feels like it's taking.

Sewing. I don’t get very far when Sherman decides to help. Right now I’m working with jersey fabric for the first time, trying to sew some long-sleeve tops.  Success mostly.  But as I try to make one that fits perfectly so that I can archive my pattern changes, I get all frustrated figuring out how to make those changes. I told a friend I threw my sewing machine into the dumpster and gave away my fabric stash because that's what I imagined myself doing. Sigh. I am learning valuable lessons about patience, practice, and how to work smarter: step AWAY from the sewing machine if it’s starting to drive me crazy. (Duh, right? But I’m so stubbornly persistent.) Coming back to it the next day after a break makes all the difference.

Been reading.  It still goes in fits and starts though.  Sometimes I devour pages, and other days it’s more like an afterthought before I go to bed. In my stack right now:  The Colette Guide to Sewing With Knits, Grow Great Grub, Easy Growing (both by Gayla Trail, my favorite gardening author), A Beautiful Mess (fun one about daily-life photography), and On Green Dolphin Street, which I just started.  I just finished House of Sand and Fog, which I borrowed from my brother.  What a story.  You know it’s heading for disaster but you keep hoping something good will happen instead… ooof!  

Oh yeah, with all that warm (barefoot in February!!??) weather, I couldn’t help but catch the gardening bug, especially when the seed catalogs showed up in my mail slot. Does anyone remember the Scholastic books catalog in grade school?  When that thing showed up I pored over those pages, folding over corners and circling books in different color pens based on order of preference.  The seed catalogs remind me of that.  I am probably going to over-order.  I can’t help it.  But at a couple bucks a packet, it beats having a more expensive addiction, right?

Sooo… cheers to longer days and spring!!  How have you been?

2017 Goals

I'm not really a New Year's resolution person, but I like the idea of thinking ahead for the year and asking myself what I'd really like to accomplish.  If I pin this list over my desk it will inspire me every day.  If I post it here then it's even more official!  Except for the first goal, which feels the most important to me, they are in no particular order.  Here goes:

 - HELP OTHERS. I'm still working out what I mean by this.  It's pretty easy to donate money to good causes (and I need to do more of this regardless), but I think it's time I got more involved. I'd like to start an ongoing relationship with at least one organization that's a good fit. 

- READ 25 BOOKS.  I used to be a "take-a-book-with-me-everywhere-I-go" kind of girl, but somewhere along the way I became more of a bedtime book reader (which doesn't get me very far because I fall asleep).  I think I have a hard time stopping "being productive" to sit down and read a book during the day.  It feels so decadent and maybe even lazy.  But that's ridiculous!  So I am vowing to become a book girl again.  I have so many books of my own, and I've since added a huge chunk of my Mom & Dad's collection, so I have plenty of material to get through. 

- SING.  You know that question: "If there were no money, what would you do if you could do anything?" Well, it's a no-brainer for me.  I'd be a jazz singer.  So, this year, I want to dust off my red velvet dress and get out there.  Since goals need to be specific, I want to have five songs ready to go and I want to sing in public five times.  More would be nice! 

- SEW THROUGH MY FABRIC STASH.  Since setting up my Mom's sewing machine and figuring out the basics, I've made a few pairs of pajama pants, a new favorite skirt, a jersey long sleeve t-shirt, and I've altered a bunch of other things so they fit me right.  I've also spent many giddy hours in New York fabric shops and at Sew to Speak up in Worthington.  I LOVE that we have such a great independent shop close by.  Anyway, I have now amassed a (still growing) collection of fabric-waiting-to-become-something-grand.  It's terrible but I can't help it:  What if the store runs out of this beautiful (insert coveted fabric here) before I know what I want to do with it?  Buy it now!! *Sigh*  The stack in the photo is only a selection of what I've got in the closet, BUT it is my goal this year to make something out of everything in that pile. 

- LEARN 5 SONGS BY HEART on my ukulele and play them in front of people.  I can sing jazz standards for an audience until the cows come home, but for some reason I am soooo nervous playing an instrument in front of people.  It was the same with piano.  The shaky hands!  Ugh!  I loooove my ukulele and I'm getting better at playing it, but I want to get over my stage fright (I even messed up playing "Happy Birthday" for my brother!?) so I gotta play in front of people more often.  Look out... next time I see you you'll get a shaky-hands concert!

- MOVE MORE. Okay, I admit it, I'm sort of a couch potato.  I work at home doing things that involve sitting, or only small bits of moving around, and I don' t like the word "exercise."  In seventh grade I did aerobics until my legs practically fell off but now, yeah, not so much.  I used to do a lot of yoga too... dunno what happened to that either. No, I don't need to lose weight, I just want to be healthy, so I want to do every day (or at least most days) that involves moving my body for a little while.  A walk, a bike ride, polka dancing... whatever.  One of the projects I started last year but didn't finish was fixing up my old three-speed.  It doesn't look as bad in the photo as it does in real life but it's pretty busted.  I took it apart to clean the whole thing and now I can't remember how it goes back together.  Hello, bicycle repair shop...?

- LEARN TO FLY AGAIN.  It's been a looong time since I was up in the air by myself.  It was hard to find time to fly regularly when I was helping my brother take care of my Mom and Dad, and eventually I just let it go.  It's okay.  I now have "my" little Aeronca Champ and spring is just around the corner...

- PLANT A BETTER GARDEN.  I learned a lot from my first year of keeping a garden.  So this year?  More flowers, more herbs, fewer vegetables.  We just didn't eat enough of what we grew to make it worth the effort.  

- FINISH UNPACKING.  It's been a year and a half since we moved.  It's time to open the rest of the boxes and also put away the things I've already unpacked but are just stacked in piles all over the house -- it's hard to keep a clean house when every available surface is covered with something.  Besides, I finally want to have  a housewarming party.

- HANG UP ARTWORK & FINISH DECORATING.  I finally put up some of my photographs and a few of my Mom & Dad's prints and paintings, but I want to finish putting books on shelves and hanging my artwork on the walls.  It makes me sad that some of my favorite pieces are still living in a giant box behind the sofa.

- COME UP WITH A GOOD STUDIO/OFFICE ROUTINE.  It's a catch-22:  I'm a night owl, but that means waking up late and feeling like the day's already passed me by.  Then I put things off because there's no official deadline for projects.  Or I'll get distracted by my sewing machine.  Or -- Ooooh! It's a gorgeous day! -- I'd so much rather be outside!  Artists & freelancers out there, you KNOW what I mean. Ugh. I gotta figure out what works for me.

- FIND 25 GIGS FOR MY FLYING ADVENTURES BOOK.  Readings, workshops, exhibits - whatever. I want to make a concerted effort to get the word out, and if I don't have a specific number goal, then I'll be lazy about sending out queries.  I think 25 is a doable number... they don't have to be all in one year, just 25 places that say yes and put me on the calendar somewhere.

- USE MY PASSPORT.  Life is short and the world is big.  I know I will never see all of it, but I'd like to make a dent.  

So those are the big ones!  I have a few smaller ones: drinking more water, keeping a neater house (which should be easy once boxes are unpacked - ha!), and coming up with a system to stay on top of editing, archiving, and printing my own personal photos.  Oh yeah, and keeping up with this blog!  I'm proud that I've kept up (mostly) with my weekly posts.  

I know I'll find some things to add to the list along the way, but for now this is a good place to start. I wish you all the best with your own resolutions and goals for 2017... cheers!!

2016: This Year I...

Whenever I go through photos from the previous year it always makes me realize how much has happened.  Places I've travelled, people I've met, things I learned.  2016 was an amazing year for all kinds of reasons, and I thought I'd put a few of them here.  So, in 2016 I...

... Became part owner of the plane I learned to fly in.  Now to re-learn how to fly it!

... Bought an amazingly beautiful Ohana tenor ukulele and am learning how to play.  I'm not too shabby.

... Planted my first real garden. Some things turned out well, others not so much.  Fresh herbs were my favorite!

... Started learning how to sew (with "help" from Sherman).  I remember shopping with my Mom when she bought this sewing machine as a Christmas gift for herself.  Makes it extra special now that it's mine.

... Travelled to a country I'd never been to before.  Iceland had almost every imaginable landscape, all squished on one tiny island.  My three goals when we were there?  Climb a mountain, soak in hot springs, and see daylight at midnight. Mission accomplished!

... Took some trips closer to home (Tucson, Austin, New York, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Portland, Missoula, Salt Lake City & points south), including more than one visit to one of my favorite places on the planet: Grand Central Station.  I always feel like I've stepped into the movie Hugo when I'm there.

... Tagged along with this handsome guy to a few cities I might never have visited otherwise.

... Had a respectable number of adventures in the Starfighter, including my first real trip to Cleveland.

... Spent time on my favorite mountain.  If, when I die, I get to choose where I'd like my spirit to live for all eternity, it would be right here.  The southwest ridge of Kitt Peak in Arizona.

... Learned how to make sun prints.  I think almost everyone I know has made sun prints but me.  No longer!  Yes that's a frying pan.  (Gotta make do with available supplies.)

... Had some wacky good times with my favorite bird.  I can't imagine going on a road trip without him.

Went for a few joyrides in Zelda, the powder-blue Mustang that my parents bought in 1967 and that my brother & his friend have been restoring.  This car brought each of us home from the hospital after we were born.  (And impressed quite a few of my dates in high school.)

... Slept on the patio of my parents' house for the last time.

... Made a pilgrimage to Vermont to scatter my parents' ashes with my brother.

... Worked like mad on the new edit of my Flying Adventures book while visiting a dear friend.

... Gave my first public book reading and art talk!  Thank you, Snow College!

... Met long-lost relatives and visited with so many good friends, including ones I hadn't seen in ages.  I even spent time with my pen-friend and his airplane that made me want to learn to fly.

... Made a snowman for the first time in forever -- Columbus does NOT get enough snow, imho -- and made him big enough to hug.

... Started blogging again so I could keep track of it all and share it with you :-)