Taking The Long Way Home

Our little knitting group is still going strong after a year or so of regular Tuesday knit-togethers. Until recently, we've been meeting at coffee places. Starbucks was nice, except that they played the music so loud we couldn't hear each other talk. Nothing more fun than a group of people over 50 all yelling, "Huh?! What?! What is this music???" Not so good for our attempts to  not  look like a bunch of old farts playing with sticks and string. We tried bouncing back and forth between two little privately owned places nearby, that just happened to be right across the street from each other. After a while though, as the cafe owners began to feel more comfortable around us, the vibe shifted. They both became more and more open about the vicious and unprofessional rivalry between the two of them. The verbal shrapnel-flinging was fierce and frequent, and it became so ugly and awkward, we felt the need to wander off in search of a safer place to spend our time and ...

If today was Thanksgiving, and I was sitting at a table full of people taking turns sharing what they're grateful for, my contribution would go something like, I am ridiculously thankful for Grace and Frankie.  Yes, the show. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin have much wisdom to share, and they bring it to us so entertainingly via Netflix. My daughter watches it, and often leaves it on in the background, because she likes the sound of their voices. They reassure her as only voices of years and experience can do. I like to think they remind her of me. They certainly remind me of me. I hear a lot of women say things like, "I'm totally Grace", or "Frankie is me ." I'm mostly Frankie with a dash of Grace. Frankie is my hair soul sister, and she has those amazing clothes and all that jewelry. She's woowoo and she's an artist, and she just isn't normal ... sigh... so much love. Grace, on the other hand, struggles with letting go of her "beau...

Some very inspiring friends/guests came to stay at Mermaid's Nest last week. Marti and Cheri make things. Lots of things. Out of other things. They are creative up-cyclers who spend their free time gathering weird cast-off items in the world and turning them into wonderful things people actually want to buy and have and love. I make stuff too, you know. But I'd almost forgotten what it was like to get out in the world and share what I do. Somehow, chatting with these talented and encouraging women jump-started something in me that's been sleeping like a snoring, snowbound bear for the last several years. Suddenly, and surprisingly, I find myself dusting off my blog, tidying all my websites, updating everything, linking them all together, making them look like they know each other, filing with the state for a resale number, ordering new business cards, and also ordering a bunch of supplies for making stuff. This flurry of activity all started with a simple request fro...

I can't explain my nearly year-long absence any better than to say that I lost my way, lost my focus, lost my ambition, and also became a grandmother. My grandson was born right around the time of my last post. That's my excuse. I was absolutely distracted by a new love in my life. I'm on more even footing now (although I'm still completely smitten). You know how things go in cycles. On and off and around and around. At least for some of us, maybe not all, I suppose, creativity has its own rules. I don't know why - maybe spring in the air again - I'm energized and excited and ready to get going on my own things again. It starts here. Picks up here, where I left off. Come along. Let's see where we go.