Weekly Wednesday Wrap up :)

“Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and it's beauty.”
― Albert Einstein

 

Once again I am writing only once a week. But at least I am managing this much. The days slip by way too fast and there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day to get all I want to do done. So you will have to settle for my weekly updates for a while.

 

My plants are thriving in the green house. I am beginning to feel like I might just succeed in growing something to eat. I keep telling Marv that right now these are very expensive vegetables. But it has become a matter of honor that I figure out how to grow something down here. I do have last weeks pictures. I haven't taken any yet this week. Will try and do that tomorrow. Actually I just took a moment and ran out and did that. You will have to wait for the pictures until next week.

 

We actually got rain this last week. Thursday night and Friday night both.

Friday night we got to listen to it while in the motor home. We checked out a campground not too far from our home in the Tonto Park. Oak flats was the name of the campground. About 35 miles from home,  We will be going back to this one. We actually had a very private camping spot and it was wonderful. Though it was cold and it was wet. We were both feeling rather smug at how comfortable we were. Felt rather sorry for the people camping in tents and tent trailers. They had to have been pretty miserable. When we left Sunday morning the campground was pretty deserted. Many people just couldn't deal with the weather.

Are we enjoying the RV. You Betcha!!!! 

 

Project Report. I just finished a redo project. It will be shipped out in the morning. Garments I am still learning. Though I am not sure I truly want to learn how to size them and such. They are a whole lot of work when you are inexperienced in that field.

There is a definite learning curve and I am definitely on it at the moment.

I still have too many projects going at the moment, though I am starting to whittle them down. Will be glad when I am back to my 2-3 projects at a time. Another week or so should see me there. I am really having to give myself a stern lecture each time I want to pick up a hook and start a new project. I just have too many ideas I want to work up or try. It can be so frustrating at times that my fingers only can work so fast.

Well I have plant pictures. Travel pictures and of course foliage pictures......

 

Before the storm hit us here on Thursday evening the Superstitions where just glowing against the threatening sky.

This was one of the vistas we had up at Oak flats. As you can see the sky was still rather interesting. I love it when there are clouds. I especially like watching their shadows march across the hills.

There isn't many flowers this time of year. But I did find a few trying to bloom.

But mostly I had to settle for the seed pods. Though they are beautiful in their own right. Such soft colors.

Marv and Pip climbing rocks. Both have their bright color spots to let hunters know we aren't game. Gammy maybe, but not worth shooting.

Mr Scrub Jay came to make sure we kept our campsite clean. I took this through the window as I didn't want to disturb him.

I couldn't resist this shot. The Bougainvillea was back lite by the afternoon sun.

One more sky shot

Okay here are my tomato plants. They are actually doing well.

And my Roma Tomato

and my peas. They are twice this size now.

Weekly Wednesday Wrap up

“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
― Margaret Mitchell

 

I really do need to post more than once a week as there is just too much going on in my life to capture it all in one short blog post once a week. It's just hard to always find the time to post. I am at least trying to maintain my Weekly Wednesday Wrap up.

 

Lets see what has been going on this week.

I took the time and cleaned out my greenhouse and replanted again. Going to try this now that the weather has started to cool down. Still trying to figure out how to grow things down here. Been a real challenge and learning experience. It's a lot more than just sticking seeds in the ground and watering here. You have definite pest control issues. Anything green seems to be fair game to the wild life around here.

Hence the green house.

So far everything is up and looking good. I have it set up to water everyday for me so when I can't be here to take care of the little darlings they won't suffer. Took some pictures of everything earlier. But haven't got them uploaded yet. Will post next posting.

 

We took our RV on a shake down cruise Friday -Sunday. We had a wonderful time. Figured out a few things that we needed to include to make life a little nicer. We spent the first night near Safford Az in a State park with all the hookups and such. It was the perfect spot to do our first night out with the RV. We enjoyed hiking around the little lake that was in the park.

We then took off to a more remote site near Clifton AZ. No power, no hookups. It did great. We did a little hiking on the Gila river but didn't wander too far as there were a lot of hunters in the area. So we stayed pretty close to the campground.

Sunday when we drove home Marv made my afternoon by stopping at the Arboretum in Superior. Oh it was lovely. Not a lot blooming this time a year. But a lovely oasis of green. I do have some picture for you.

 

The nice thing about my job is I can work anywhere. So I actually got a lot of crocheting done this weekend. Worked out the kinks on a new design. Worked on two long term projects also. Didn't finish anything but made good progress on all that I took with me. Also did a little sketching of ideas and some pattern writing. Love having my flash drive set up so I can work on any of my computers anyplace.  So a productive weekend.

 

Yesterday was my favorite Tuesday of the month. It was the crochet meeting up in Prescott, Az.  I am so glad I started going up there each month. They are such a great group. We had a great time. I taught a friend Irish crochet padding cords and she helped me get  acquainted with my Adobe Illustrator program. Some day I hope to be able to chart my designs. That's my goal anyways.

 

I am hoping to get a little time to play with the program tonight. Thank you Susan for you help. I am not worried about messing up too much with it now.

 

Well I have some pictures from last weekend to share.

 

Now isn't this a pleasant looking place to spend some time. This is at the Arboretum by the visitor center.

Loved the colors and the cool look.

The Gila River looking up at this lovely old bridge.

Pip giving his seal of approval to the whole weekend. He loved the trip.

Caught this shot of the snowy egret in flight. A bit blurry, but he wasn't hanging around for me to focus the camera.

Same Egret before he took off.

Our new toy. It's a small one. But just right for the 2 of us and pip.

Loved how the afternoon sun highlighted this flower. Taken at the Arboretum.

This little fellow I found on the side of the road. A little bit of color peaking out at me.

Taken near Rope lake. I wanted to capture these colors together.

A lot of the pictures I took this weekend were color studies.

Nature has a wonderful palette.

 

 

 

Happy Halloween

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”
― Marcel Proust

There isn't likely to be many Trick or Treaters here. We had 1 last year. But I am ready! and my chocolate supply is set for a while most likely.

I always buy what I like because I am normally the one who gets to eat it.

It's been a crazy week. We have been looking at ways to escape the heat in the summer here. So this weekend we took the plunge and bought us a motorhome. It's a small one, which is all we need. It's just the 2 of us and pip. It will be great for a weekend get away and double as our guest house and emergency housing.  It's a B Classs and in really nice shape. Can hardly wait for the chance to take off in it. But we have to finish stocking it first.

So I have been a bit distracted from my crocheting the past few days. Though yesterday I buckled down and did some serious work on the project I have going. This is one of the ones I have planned for the CGOA design competition for next year. It feels strange to be planning so far ahead. Normally I am not so organized. But I know I need to top what I have done the past couple years. So I have two designs I am working on with that in mind.

I also got caught up on some pattern writing. One I thought I had written down. At least I did it in my head. But could I find the file. NO! so rectified that oversight. It's a motif that I really like, but haven't decided how I am going to use it yet. I have one other swatch also that I haven't decided what it will become when it grows up. Part of me says a vest or sweater but I hate sizing garments. So thinking long and hard about that.

Well I have a few more pictures from our trip up to the Grand canyon and the petrified forest.

When we were up at the Grand Canyon we stayed in Wilson. The had adorned their Route 66 signs with flowers. In the early morning light they were beautiful.

A not quite awake Marv in front of the Route 66 sign. You can see the an Elvis Manniquin in the back ground.

I was thrilled to see a snow covered peak here in Arizona. These are the San Fransico Mountains. How lovely with the forests in front of them. I was in my element up there.

The back side of the Range.

We got to enjoy some Autumn Color also.

And this brought back memories of my youth. I always loved the honeysuckle.

At one of our stops there was this little fellow perched on a tire of a truck in the parking lot.

He seemed quite content to be soaking up warmth.

Wondering minds would like to know

“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

 

I have been plugging away here to get these deadline pieces done. My eyes were beginning to cross and I was beginning to ramble on more than I should, so I thought I would take a break and get at least one post done this week.

 

I realized just how easy it is to get caught up in working excessively when you are self employed like me and work out of your home. True we don't have travel time to get to work, but it is so easy to put in some extremely long days. I have been working steady since about 7:00 this morning, It's now 5:00 and I will probably put in at least a couple more hours today.  So I will probably put in a 12 hour day today. And the last 5-6 days have been about the same. Getting tired.

So how do you draw the line and not burn one's self out?

Since I really need to get this last pattern written up today or tomorrow it's hard to just walk away and take some me time.

Don't get me wrong I do love what I am doing. But I seriously don't want to become burned out by it either.

I already had one passion in my life become a job and I don't want to go there with my designing.

So how do you meet deadlines and still retain your creative freedom.

Do you set certain work times....? Days off? If so how do you meet some of these deadlines that overlap and demand every moment you can apply yourself to a hook to finish.

I want to know................

I do have a few pictures from the petrified forest for you. I finally took a few minutes and got them ready to post.

 

Standing on the edge of the Ravine. Not as scary as the Grand canyon here. Marv was so sweet when he suggested we finish our weekend up here instead of at the canyon. I had a much better time.

Painted desert. Marv got this shot

Blue Mesa in the Petrified forest. It was wonderful getting to walk down into the canyons.

Marv and Pop taking a break

And of course a photo shoot would not be complete if a flower didn't jump in front of my camera. They are such hams.....

 

Trip

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all.”
― Walt Disney Company, Mulan (Pictureback

We finally made it up to the Grand Canyon this weekend. We have only been promising ourselves to go since we moved down here. It was beautiful! But I didn't take my fear of heights into consideration. Walking the Rim was the best I could do. Even then I turned a lovely shade of green a few times. It's not nearly as much fun when you have to force yourself to keep going. Maybe it would have been different it we had gone in the spring at the end of our hiking season here. I was doing pretty good on the trails at that time dealing with my height issues. But it's been a long summer with little actual hiking so my bravery index is down.
Of course my camera kept seeking out and finding floral shots. You know I am just amazed at the beautiful flowers that can grow in such adverse conditions. The Desert flowers to me are a symbol of perseverance and strength to me. If they can bloom in such poor conditions there is no excuse for me not to be the best I can be in what life presents me.
Overall though we had a good time. The drive up was lovely and I got to see the San Francisco Mts with snow on them. That is the first snow covered peak I have seen down here. Thrilled me. We also drove through forest of pine trees and that always make me happy.

I love the delicacy of this. The subtle colors are awesome

The Grand Canyon in all it's glory.

Another shot of the Canyon. Layers upon layers

Another flower that said it wanted it's picture taken. I of course obliged.

We saw a mule deer and her three babies on our walk on the rim.

Mom did hold still long enough for me to get a couple decent shots.

Me on the edge. Holding on tightly and a nervous smile. But I did it by golly.

I of course took my current project with me and got quite a bit done while traveling. Always do. I am hoping to have this one done by the end of the week, Sunday at the latest. The yarn I am using is so soft. Feels wonderful worked up.

Yesterdays Storm clouds

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Well today has been interesting. After consulting with my editor I am reworking part of this piece. All to the good, but it's always hard to frog work already done.. But I am happier with the choice we made and think the piece will be better for it in the long run. And that is what counts! Right?  I wasn't comfortable with what was going on so decided I had best ask what she thought.  Glad I did.

I got a bit camera happy yesterday afternoon. The sky was just awesome and I couldn't resist. So I have pictures to share from yesterday.

 

This is the cloud  formation that made me grab my camera. Loved how the light was playing with the clouds.

And then Mr bird decided to add to the shot.

Rainbow over the superstitions. There was a double rainbow shortly after this. But the shot wasn't all that great.

Shortly after the mountain was covered in clouds and you could hardly see it.

Of course when we get weather like this we get beautiful sunsets.

Massive clouds over the Superstitions.

And more clouds, and yes we did get some rain from these clouds.

Another sunset shot. It was constantly changing last night

And a final sunset shot. Love the colors in this one.

 

Cloudy Day

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

 

Today has been clouds and sprinkles. No real rain, DRATS!  But a cloudy day is always welcome here as far as I am concerned. I love watching the endless show it puts on. Continually blue skies to me are boring. I like change and variety.

Not just in the sky but in my daily life....

My hook had to wait today while I took the time to clean house. I know crocheting is so much more fun. But every once in a while I must clean the corners or the dust bunnies would take over. I have enough trouble with bunnies in my yard I don't need them taking over my house too.

Now me and my hook can spend the rest of the day together. Have a good movie on as back ground noise and putting some quality time on this project.

Since I have no new pictures ready I thought I would share a few flower pictures I haven't posted yet. I took these when we went up to the ruins in the early part of last month.

 

I have to admit I do get to see flowers a lot more down here than in Washington. Seems like there is always something blooming. Sometimes they are small and you have to really look for them, but I have good flower radar.

These are prevalent around here and brighten the landscape.

Datura blossoms seem to jump out of nowhere.

And of course a little ray of sunshine.......

 

Continuing to behave myself

This last weekend I did my semi annual trip up to see my mother. Great thing is I get to see all my sisters at the same time. In fact my youngest sister and I always plan this trip together. She lives in the Puget sound still and I am in Arizona now. We started doing this though when we both lived up there and it has become tradition. So now it's a little more complicated but we make it work and get our time together in also. The last few times my other two sisters have taken a day off that allows us a sister day too. All four of us together is pretty dangerous and if you embarrass easily don't listen to our conversations.
We lucked out this fall and had beautiful weather both for driving and flying.
So now I am ready to settle in for the winter. No real trips until after the 1st of the year.
My yarn arrived yesterday that I have been impatiently waiting for. Oooh do I feel special. I get to crochet with Alpaca. Lovely yarn. This morning I finished winding what I think I am going to need for this project and dipped my hook into it for the first time. It is pretty nice feeling yarn. Can hardly wait to see how it works up.
I also finished up another project this morning. Just have a bit of pattern writing to do on that one and it will be ready to head out the door.
This is making me feel better about the deadlines I have at the moment. I am such a worry wart about being late for things, that I why find deadlines stressful. Which is why it's so easy to let this blog slide sometimes as it has no deadline as such that demands that I pay attention to it. I need to find someway to keep my self motivated on it. I do like writing it. It helps me keep things in perspective.
Today I have some pictures from my Spokane trip. Mostly family but a flower or two again jumped in front of my lens too. I keep running into the flowers that have no sense of self preservation jumping in front of my camera all the time. Well maybe they do.........  For now they are preserved for all time.  I am only posting one flower though today.

Isn't this a lovely rose. I took this at the grave yard my father rests in. It is a beautiful place.

My older sister Conni.  Enjoying the sunshine and visiting

Laura, My younger sister.  

Mom with a beautiful smile. Really like this shot of her

Both sisters and my mom. Feel bad we didn't get pictures when Nancy was with us.

This is a shot of Mount Rainer I took from the plane as I was flying out of Sea Tac Sunday afternoon.