Monday, February 9, 2015

Celebrity

Hello everyone. Well, as mentioned in the previous post, the California Groundhog spent a fair amount of his hibernation praying for rain. And it rained!!! So he has been awarded a Gold Star! He doesn't really understand, hence his puzzled expression. He says,"I was only doing my duty as a citizen." A humble and modest citizen who deserves to be rewarded for spending his time well.

There was much rejoicing over the rain, which appears to have stopped, but we were glad for every drop!

Raindrops appeared elsewhere:

Gilly helped me in the garden...the weeds are weeded so easily when the ground is wet.  Afterwards she rested.  As did I.
That's all for now!  xo, s

Monday, February 2, 2015

Groundhog Day!

Hello everyone,

No real excuse for my absence from blogland, except...hibernation.  Being quiet, pondering, stitching...I even took a calligraphy course because I thought it might be fun to embroider a different sort of alphabet, and so, to practice, here is this year's Groundhog Day card (ink):

I've really been enjoying embroidering on pieces of indigo dyed by Glennis:
A study of waves and fish:
 A fish evolving (note hand-knit socks):

The following is perhaps going to become part of a very small book.  MAYBE.


Unfinished but more of the same story:
A real life story about a bird and a fish:

Gilly and I went with members of our training class to an informal agility event at a winery south of here.  It wasn't a competition but rather a chance to practice.  It was quite advanced (no fences to contain the participants, most of whom didn't need fences to remain contained) so we decided to just watch.  Apologies for the picture which is taken from away off where I took Gilly just to test her recall skills.  She is very good about returning when I call her at the dog park, but this was different!  It was a beautiful setting and wonderful to be out of town.  The dogs were amazing to watch, some so skilled at doing exactly what was asked of them, some a little naughty, providing much amusement. The grass is still green from our last good rain (before Christmas) so it doesn't LOOK like a drought, but...

That's all for now, I hope you have been enjoying Groundhog Day, a time of shadow mysteries, midway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  It goes by other names, Imbolc and St. Brigid's Day...a few hours devoted to taking our bearings, one way or another.   xoxo, s.