Pondering the Seasons

Autumn Sunrise 1995
9 x 6 inch watercolor

There was a place on my (deceased) parents old property, down into a gully where there are or was a grove of poplar trees. In the fall, the area lights up with a golden glow when the sun shines through. 

Standing under a large maple tree in autumn provides the same experience. Whenever I have a chance of being out in the woods in the autumn, I try to find a place or tree to stand under for that shower of light.

In the winter, I try not to stand under trees because possible snow always seems to make it down the back of my neck. However, walking through a grove of evergreen trees is as magical as foliage in the fall or an orchard in full spring bloom. Summer, though, is about being in the shade looking out at trees.

On this last Saturday of January 2024, I'm pondering what the four seasons mean to me, memories, feelings, events. What I remember up front are clothes.  Shorts are always tailored, strong French seams, pockets, cuffs, good woven fabric. Jackets crusty with snow and ice. A raincoat hung on the back of a closet door to dry. A  pair of fringe hem jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. Every season has a uniform. 

What I notice is that my cold weather coats are warmer, and my summer shorts are lighter. My age is a factor given I have thinner skin and move around less. Climate change also plays into it with damper cold weather and hotter summers.  

This year I'm embracing winter as a time of fun exploring closets and cleaning out old stuff. I also like to think of myself as walking outdoors regularly. Maybe all this seasons' pondering will encourage me to do that.

P.S.

Spring is only 52 days away in this Northern Hemisphere.

Mug, Fog & Thrift Stores

Old Orchard Beach Maine

 What a delightful mug to find at a thrift store, heavy, gorgeous blue, summery artwork with the name, Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Thus ends the Winter 2024 yearly hunt for a special mug.

On very foggy late morning, I made the trip to Middlebury to drop off a box of donations. From Route 7, the mountains are not visible, even the lower ones close by are whited out.

There are paths I follow at each thrift store to check on things I am interested in. Pans for example are a big plus. I rarely buy one, but when I do, it is what I need at a very good price. Art supplies, office supplies, yarn, tee shirts, mugs, glasses, dishes, furniture room, kitchen things, and, maybe the footwear section. I also like to have a quick look at the gowns and wedding dresses. 

Is there a path you follow at your local thrift store?

Art In Winter

Herding Sheep in a Winter Landscape at Sunset
Joseph Farquharson
1846 ~ 1935
Born in Edinburgh Scotland  

 

When the West With Evening Glows 
1901
Joseph Farquharson

Farquaharson on Wikipedia

Images from Wikiart.org

I've posted landscapes of Farquaharson's in the past.

His realism paintings capture winter's warmth beautifully.

Mental Health Blog Break? Nah, Just an Initial Reaction

Dark Road

The New Hampshire* primary results are depressing,

sending America down a dark road.

I need a few days to recover.

Edited...Maybe not

because this helps me feel better:

*I still love New Hampshire

An Easy Day

Bartlett Pear

 The shape and color of the Barlett pear is perfect to sketch and paint. I removed the produce sticker easily. However, the skin of the pear sticks to the sticker. 

Anxiety is like that. It sticks to you no matter how you try to manage it. Despite snow in the forecast, I decide I would not miss the dental appointment I need to get to. I told myself if the anxiety becomes too sharp, then as before, I can cancel. The world will not fall apart and neither will I.

Everything this morning went well. I didn't wake up tired, cranky or very anxious. I didn't send myself into a tizzy figuring out what to wear. My focus is to get out the door to the appointment. So I did.

I was on my way home in less than a hour there. In all of it, nice people, clean place, good information, spot on answers to all my questions at Aspen Dental.*

As a treat, I stop at a favorite place to pick up a sandwich and coffee on the way home. I planned to go back out to do errands, but instead, me and my sort muscles (from the closet clear out yesterday) dozed off. Now I'm awake with a hot chocolate, and wearing my new sweat pants as I sit on my deriere.

How has your day been?

*Not a sponsored post 

Stuff, Sourcing, & Surprises

Finding stuff while cleaning out a closet can be fun as well as depressing. Fun because I'm glad to have found stuff I was wondering where they went to.  Depressing because now I have a ton of shredding to do. 

Single Bed Duvet

A Source for large pieces of fabric:

Duvet Covers

Closet diving, I find the twin size duvet cover I bought at a thrift store last year. I opened the seams, and then cut the fabric in half. I will sew a French seam in the middle. The fabric is a light sturdy weave that will be easy to machine wash. The plaid gives the room a cozy cabin vibe that's comfortable any time of the year. In the summer, my mind can go to a cabin at the lake vibe. The label is gone. If I remember right, it is from Pottery Barn.

The surprise* of the day is finding only 2 large bins of fabric! In the past, I've had up to 5 large plastic bins of fabric, and a couple of sweater containers. Only 2 containers tells me the last time I sorted fabrics, I did a good job. This round, I'm organizing the remanants. There will be only 1 fabric bin when I finish sorting.

*Another surprise!

I found my birthstone ring that I lost last year,

It was on a tiny bottle pencil holder under some plastic milk bottle rings.

Excercise: The Stretch

The warm up and stretching are a priority. Cold muscles are grumpy muscles. Grumpy muscles are an injury waiting to happen (like what happened this morning leaning over the dust pan).

On my right side, I felt a muscle cramping up. Immediately I stop what I'm doing when that happens. As slight and brief as the muscle cramp was, the area is still tender.

No matter what age, I believe, stretching is a component of keeping yourself healthy.

I learned in the late 1980s when taking martial arts instruction, stretching my muscles properly is as important as the action itself. Sitting on the floor in a leaning position with my head on the floor, I nearly fell asleep, I was that relaxed. The sensei explained to me to follow the right amount of stretching.

This morning is a wake up call. I am old. Stretching must be a daily routine. The odd moment of remember to stretch something isn't enough. A routine for all muscles at my ability level is the best way for me to keep healthy.

The Importance of Stretching, 

Harvard Medical School, Harvard Health Publishing

Stretches for Exercise and Flexibility 

American Heart Association

Justin Timberlake - Say Something (First Take) ft. Chris Stapleton

How many times can you spill coffee on your sweater?

It's like this.

You have two hands. In one hand is a napkin. In the other hand is your coffee mug. What do you think happens when both want to get to your face at the same time? Yup. Coffee clash!

The spill flows down my sweater to be quickly soaked up with the napkin. Seconds later, feel a cold trickling on my arm, soak up of coffee that went inside my sweater sleeve. 

Have a Dry Sweater Weekend!

Bake potatoes

Cut out a string of snowflakes

Make a big plate of nachos

Draw your favorite chair

Read about relativistic mechanics*

Watch a funny movie

Make paper beads

A Winter Sunset in Addison County Vermont

* Quiz at a later date

Day 19 of week 3 January 2024

 

Where do sparrows sleep?

I recently Google that question. The answer tells me they group in trees and shrubs. There are and have been numerous shrubs near the building where I live. Yet, I have never seen a sleeping group of sparrows.

I Googled group sparrows sleeping. No images appear in the results. I have seen groups of sparrows in shrubs. They aren't sleeping. They hop from branch to branch making a lot of chirping noise.

Update on learning my iphone 13:

It is creepy how my iphone 13 will slide on the least little incline. Online, I read that the surface is slippery. 

My question is why make a phone that slippery? You need a cover on the phone that keeps it from sliding. You can sit there and watch it slowly slide, like a ghost pushing it because the incline is so slight it looks flat. The phone won't stop sliding until it bumps into something or falls on the floor. 

Black screen iphone 13 problem. Press power button, seconds later the screen goes black. Multiple times, slide, opens, goes black. Manage to put in passcode to open phone, screen goes black. Try again, have to log in again, screen goes black. 

Caution. If you log in with iphone passcode 6 times in a row, the device will lock you out.

My phone requires multiple log ins. If I use the phone, put it down for a few seconds, it goes off requiring me to log in again. I shut off the passcode requirement.

After I manage to use the phone for a few minutes, the going to black screen appears to stop. I searched online for a fix. I manage with great effort to restart my phone. So far, the black screen problem appears to have stopped.*

*Update late morning...black screen on and off problem hasn't return. 

The phone is a pleasure to use without a passcode.

Yo Yo Ma - Bach Six Cello Suites - The Odeon of Herodes Atticus Greek Live