2022 Happy To Be Here

 Talking with a fellow employee this morning he couldn't understand why anyone would want to volunteer to go home after getting to work.  "You go to all that trouble to get ready, why turn around and go home?" he said.  My response after deciding to leave early, "I have things to do at home."  So I left work early, went home, packed up some stuff, and headed for the studio.  Other things I am happy about today: At the studio I sewed, embroidered, and did some rug braiding.  Day 39 A&S challenge done! At the studio I took a nap. At the studio I watched the sun rise. I keep a flannel shirt and pair of slippers at the studio.  It kind of feels a little like Mr. Rogers when I get there and change.  I do something similar at home, somehow it feels more Mr. Rogers-esque at the studio.  "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood." At home I ate, relaxed, and made dinner for the family.  It was a good day.  Cats sleep in some weird ways!...

Birka memories have been all over my Facebook feed lately. This SCA event is the big one that, prior to Covid, we held at the end of every January. This event is where Keziah and I were invested and Baron and Baroness three years ago. Keziah would have attended her first Birka event as a three-month-old. This is an event that is near and dear to my heart. We made the decision early last fall to cancel the event. I am so very happy that we made the choice early on partially because it would have been canceled last minute anyway. However, the amount of preparation stress I did not endure because we made this choice early is immeasurable. Other things I am happy for today: Our dog Aesop is home from being boarded over the weekend. Other than the cats, everyone is glad he is home. Not the best Aesop picture, but the only one today. While walking Aesop in the backyard this afternoon I found some tracks that I think are a mouse. The imprint in the snow is pretty much the entire a...

 As I sit, alone, in the studio I am again filled with gratitude and happiness at having this space to use.  I say alone, but there are others, friends and probably people I have yet to meet, in the building as well.  Today Keziah stayed home though.  I have worked on the braiding for what will someday be a braided rug and I have spent some time meditating.  The chair that I tend to use I keep moving slightly to chase the sun.  All seems right in my little corner of the room.  Other, or more detail of,  happy things for today: Before going shopping today and picking up a pair of earbuds, I searched my room more for the ones I lost and found them.  Yay!  Listening to music at the studio with them is polite.  Dancing around the studio to music only I can hear is fun. The yoga mat was placed in a sun beam before I practiced meditating.   With my back on the yoga mat I looked up to the ceiling to see that someone had drawn so...

 When Keziah first talked about getting a studio to do her art I was happy for her, but felt that we had the space at the house if only we could utilize it better.  Now that we have the studio and so much time has passed without us making space in the house I am so excited about being able to use it.  I feel like the studio will be putting a smile on my face for a while.  Other happy things for today: My friend, Amy, and I met at the mall today to walk.  We haven't spent any time together since Thanksgiving.  It was so nice to see her and catch up on the last two months.   It is Minecraft Friday.  TF and I played for a little while, until I got too tired.  We are reaching the end of the quest that was prepared for us.  Next week we may need to start earlier to give ourselves more awake time to take care of the monsters. Day 19 of the A&S challenge and I was able to work on rug braiding.  One of the strips of wool needed to...

 When I don't work and my schedule adjusts to daytime, I often stay snuggled in bed doing things on my phone. This morning it was snowing outside. I can hear the cars go by. I can tell when the roads are wet. Right now (around 8 AM) I can tell that some snow is staying on the roads and under tires, at least in some spots. There is a muffled crunching sort of sound the tires make when rolling over snow. And yet there isn't. I realize that the crunching was a slower vehicle, probably on the side of the road, turning, or driveway. Most cars are traveling at a reasonable speed, the snow is most likely blowing to the sides, lightweight. The sound is still muffled slightly which tells me that the snow is falling.  Other happy things for today: Day 5: Today the A&S challenge is not an unfinished project.  I found my lucet so I decided to refresh my memory on how to do a lucet braid. There were YouTube videos and multiple failed attempts. Eventually I used a video ...