last day of stay-cation

wow.
has it already been a week?
but I am not ready! there is so much more organizing to be done, naps to be taken, books to be read, and some more organizing after all of that.
it will happen (maybe not those naps...)

it has been good to be away at home. it has been productive in a nesting way...in a thoughtful way...
alone with thoughts...focusing on awareness and still mind, a practise that will give me some powerful tools for what is looking to be an almost unmanageable fall line-up. breathe. be still.

be still...
and know
that God is God.
amen.

stay-CATION #2

so...today I did just whatever the heck I wanted. no schedule, no anything. I walked the dogs for a lovely long walk on the river...and prayed to just be aware...of the trees waving, the butterflies in the wild flowers, the dogs taking their time to leave doggie post cards on whatever bush, tree, post, fence they wanted...I breathed in and breathed out and so grateful to be alive. and intentional about loving the moment.

then I exercised. damn. why don't I do that more? I really love it.

and then hung out in my studio....carving tiles, checking out what I did before....here is a pic of my studio in the cellar.


it is good space. I am lucky to have it. I spent 4 glorious hours there today. here are a couple of the tiles I made. I am new to tiles, so I am not sure how they will turn out, but basically it is clay rolled out, cut, and then I painted teal blue slip on it, and then carved away the images. Then they will be bisqued, and then I will add a glaze to them. Don't know how much of the images will be preserved, but I can't wait to see!

stay-cation....

So this week we were going to go to Durango to enjoy a week in the west. Unfortunately, the trip got postponed because of other events earlier this summer, and it felt like too much to leave for another week.

I decided to take the week off, anyway, with visions of laying around and reading and napping and watching movies in the afternoon...

Yeah. Right. The first mistake made was to decide to move our office to the attic space. In the current office, we have two giant bookcases, that hold my library of theology, religion, ceramics books along with random favorites that I can't just part with--like Jane Austen, Dorothy Parker, Edith Wharton, and wicca memorabilia. These shelves are also full of CD's, paper craft and beading supplies, yarn, my yoga strap, and photo albums.

Guess what? Giant bookcases won't manuever the tight corners and stairs of our 100 year old house. Can't take them apart, because they are from IKEA, and I put them together, and well...enough said.

So, yesterday, after getting the oil changed on the car, I went to Target (is that a step up or down from IKEA?) to buy one new book case. It took me ALL AFTERNOON to put it together, because of course, I kept putting it together backwards. Then, I would have to undo it, so I could do it right. Oh, and yeah, I had to carry it piece by piece up to the attic since, well, the box wouldn't manuever the tight corners and stairs of our 100 year old house.

Did I mention, also, that I have a mysterious case of poison ivy not only covering the inside of my arm, but my nose, and in my hair on the back of the head? And, I have one more SICK doggie?

Today, I have to go back to Target to get another bookcase, in spite of trying to downsize (please, people, I can't let go of Dorothy Parker or that college textbook that used to belong to Phyllis Trible (who inscribed her name and date on the inside cover)about women and mythmaking just because....I can't.) That is after I go to the doctor who will hopefully give me a shot and after I take the doggy to the vet, where hopefully SHE will get a shot.

But, hey, it is only ten o clock....I can squeeze in 30 minutes to finish that novel I started yesterday, right?

I love stay-cation!!! (even if there is more stay than -cation in it!)

goin' on VACA-TION

At my house, tonight we are all doin' the happy vacation dance and song!!!
even though we haven't started packing, our flight leaves at 6:00 a.m.
we are going to SEDONA. I have never been to the Southwest before, in spite of growing up in the upper midwest. And, I am especially excited about Sedona because of all the spiritual energy there. I am going to soak it all up!

Last year, we didn't take vacation, because we were busy moving to New England...and then I didn't work for seven months, except for temping, and then I started in this new parish in April, and I really haven't had much time off--except for the quick trip to Cleveland to watch the Sox play the Indians, but we spent two of the three days stuck in airports. The games were fun, but not the traveling!!!

I am ready...just to be away from everything except my beloved for ten straight days. How lovely is that? I am taking books and crocheting and hiking boots and beads and hang out comfy clothes.

I am so excited!