Up, Up, Up.

The first month of the year hasn't gone quite as I had hoped with this blog.  I was hoping to touch more on some of my goals and being accountable for them on here.  Getting a clearer picture in my head as to what I want this to be would help.  Tomorrow starts a new month.  I've decided to stay close to home this weekend and rest.  I haven't done much of that since last weekend's event and I am in need of sleeping in.  My alarm is off. 

There is a place I have wanted to go to for years; since it opened, but never had the time, money and guts all at the same time.  There was an after school activity today that went to this place, Vertical Dreams.  I still hope to go there with all those things, but not with a bunch of middle school kids.  We were there for about three hours.  It looked like so much fun!  Most of the kids had a great time.  I did not participate, I went as a para-educator and mostly stayed with my student or was at least accessible to my student and not climbing a wall.  They had such a good time.  My happy for today is going here.

Sunrise.

The 'elevator' at Vertical Dreams.

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Moon

The week is almost over and I have yet to really get sick.  Gideon is still occasionally spiking a fever, but they brought him to the doctor and he doesn't have strep throat.  Although not really sick, I still don't feel that I have recovered fully from Birka.  There is an event this weekend and I am not sure I will attend it.  Sleep and general rest may win.

This was day three in the eighth grade instead of seventh at work.  It is official, I miss the kids in the seventh grade.  Not that I haven't been missing the eighth graders that I had last year as seventh graders, but they are moved on now, and that is okay.  Tomorrow should be my last day there.  It has been a nice mental health break. 

This evening I had a walk to the local CVS to get a passport photo.  The camera there was broken.  I walked to the one that was just a little farther down the street and had it done there.  Had I passed by another store that I knew did passport photos on the way, I would have gone there instead.  This resulted in a 2.5 mile walk.  I got to talk with my friend in Texas as a bonus during the walk.  My happy for today is that I got out for a walk.  I've been considering walking in the mornings again, but I don't know when I would sleep!

That should be a waxing crescent moon.

The camera and atmosphere hide the crescent.

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Wicked Short Post

Gideon is still not well.  I've had a slightly sore throat today.  We are snuggling together on the couch watching The Adventures of Tintin.  That is a happy for the day, snuggles.  Another happy is that my aunt had a hip surgery today and the operation went well.  I'm still not really sick, just not completely well.  😃

Birka photo

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Ugh

Gideon seems to be sick, again.  He was mostly over a cold and now he has a fever.  He was most likely exposed to strep as well as hand, foot, and mouth disease at the event over the weekend.  Only time will tell if this is one of those or something else.  So far, I have managed to skip every sickness that has come at us.  I'll get the occasional sniffle and think I am going to get something, but nothing comes of it.  Here's hoping that good health trend continues.

Any how, work today went well.  It seems I'm in the eighth grade for the rest of the week.  Today, that is my happy.  It was good to be with last year's students for a day. 
Another happy thing is that I got a walk in this afternoon and made my step count.  🦶

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One Year

The event this last weekend means that K and I have been Baron and Baroness for a full year.  I feel like we made some mistakes, but hopefully not big ones and we will continue to learn.  At some point today I realized that we gave out awards that usually have a little lamp to go with them and we didn't give out a lamp.  K knew this; we apparently are out of lamps.  I thought we had some, but we now need to find them or buy more.  There are things that I wanted to do during my first year that I didn't do.  I wanted to attend every craft night or fighter practice at least once a year.  I got to most of them, but not all.  I wanted to have a better Facebook presence, nope. I wanted to start regular a 'walk with the Baroness' type day, this did not happen.

All that said, I did invite folks to walk a couple times, just not a regular thing.  Other good things happened too.  The big thing that we did do, was to get new by-laws and get them passed.  That was actually something that I thought would take over a year.  We got to many more Kingdom events as well.  I know there are people new to the Barony and I know I can't take credit for them, but new people is a good thing. 

My happy for today is the way the sky looked as though there was fire in the horizon at dawn this morning.  I am determined to recover from the sleep loss over the weekend.

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Birka end

The morning was rough.  I took my new acid re-flux medicine with my vitamins this morning, started packing things up, and started to feel sick.  They are supposed to be taken on an empty stomach, but once that feeling started I knew I needed something and fast.  I found candy and an EmergenC.  As I started to feel better I got packed up and K and I went to the Kingdom Curia.  We thought we were right on time but had the time wrong and were an hour late.  What we saw of the meeting went well.  An hour late and we missed only the first item on the agenda.  After Curia I didn't realize it, but I was not feeling well again.  I had a cookie, kept pushing on, and soon was officially hangry. 

Once that set in my mind turned off.  Okay, not off, but the reception was blurry.  I needed food and so we finished getting the car packed, said our goodbyes, and went home.  During the ride home I thought about all the food that we still had that was packed to go home.  I had an emergency snack bar in the bag I had been carrying around all morning.  It suddenly dawned on me that THIS was that emergency.  I started feeling better within minutes of having that bar.  Somewhere  I think I made a list of things for anyone retaining for me to watch for.  That list needs to be found and I need to make sure that feed me is on there as well as water.

Instead of taking a nap I played Minecraft with my friend in Texas.  I stopped playing to weave and do things to get ready for Birka and just wanted the down time.  My happy for today is that this event that has been consuming me is in the past.  Now to move on with other parts of my life!

Day after pictures of my hair and its release.

Some pictures from last night's ball that somehow

 weren't available when I wrote the blog.

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Birka Day 2

It is very late.  I've been up pacing the hotel floor talking with someone for over an hour.  Just chatting, no agenda, it was nice.  This was the busy day.  We tried to see more merchants, but didn't get to see as many as we would have liked.  We had a few other people that also went through the area to help us decide who we would award the Baron and Baroness's Choice Awards.  This helped to shorten the list of prospective recipients.  Actually finding the time to do the quick court to award them was a rush between the two far ends of the event and back to be at all the things we needed to be at. 

K and I gave a newcomer's tour in the beginning of the day.  I didn't count the people, 10 -15 ish I think.  I think I still need to work on how to make it more interesting, and perhaps shorter.  It turns out that asking people who are passionate about their hobby, like to talk about their hobbies.  I know I am guilty of this. 

We took a planned break in the afternoon to lunch and get ready for the fashion show.  My friend and I didn't win ( I didn't expect too, lots of competition), there were some spectacular entrants. 

Happy things for today include watching people get awarded for the things they do and being able to award them too.  I smiled enough today that my cheeks hurt.  Just so many things; it was a good day.  I am finding it hard to take pictures at events now, but there are a few.  There is an article online about the event.  Very tired...

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Birka Day 1

It has been a long day.  It started with a doctors appointment, followed by a test, a trip to the post office, the chiropractor, a blood test and then home.  This was all before noon.  K and I than packed up the car, I picked up a prescription, we got some food, and then were at the event.  I got to see some people, finished sewing the dress, a little bit of weaving, talking with my aunt on the phone, and then K & I went to walk around the merchant area.  I'm not sure that I have spent so much time at the merchant area at this event-at least not since it started being held at this location.  That's the recap.

So it has been a long day.  Since I said I went to the doctor's office and had tests, I should probably say that there is no reason to believe that anything serious is going on.  I've had thyroid problems off and on for most of my life and most of the tests are following up with that.  The prescription is for what is probably acid re-flux. 

So many things to be happy about that today gets a list:

• Someone gifted me Totoro socks off my Amazon giftmas list.
• Anticipation of attending the event.
• Hugs from friends.
• Talking with my aunt on the phone.
• Cookies.
• Finishing my dress (again).
• Ice cream.
• Giving a tour of the event to someone from the media.
• Sleep, instead of checking this for errors.

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Time

Thanks to Z, the Honda now has a new battery.  It has been dying often lately and needed replacement.  It still needs a new motor for the passenger side window, but that will need to wait longer. 

The event is tomorrow and I am not ready.  I did a little bit of weaving this afternoon and then fell asleep.  I helped Z with the car then cleaned up the kitchen.  I packed a bunch of clothes but still need to finish sewing the garb up for the fashion show.  The loom will go with me tomorrow.  I have two doctor appointments and plan to get my mail and weave in the time between them.  Then come back home and finish getting ready.  It will all come together tomorrow.  I may end up sewing in the hotel room, but it will all get done. 

One thing I did today that I probably spent too much time on was to make a food list.  I created a shareable document with a list of restaurants and food choices that K or I will eat.  This will be shared so that Z can order food for us without having to find us at the large event.  It is something that can be added onto and used indefinitely. 

My sewing didn't get done because K was sewing for her, Gideon and me.  Gideon may have grown out of what she made him before he has had the chance to wear it!  He has grown about an inch in the last few months.  My happy is that, thanks to K, I now have a new Viking dress.  It is not yet embellished, but it will be.  There are so many things that I have been wanting to do but have been waiting until after this event.  In a few days it will be after this event.  😊

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Training

Suddenly, I am feeling the panic of not being ready for the event this weekend.  I've just spent 20 minutes or so watching hair tutorials.  This was a little important because I have asked someone to do my hair for the event and they showed me what they were thinking.  Then YouTube continued on with other styles.  It turns out, many years ago, I accidentally started doing my hair like ancient Vikings. 

During gym class today I decided that I could watch the students while doing laps of the gym.  This allowed me to get most of my step count in at work.  In my head, I am calling this training.  Having the possibility of camping over February vacation seems to be better motivation for me than losing weight or being healthy.  I'm not sure how long this bit of motivation will last.  Time will tell.  Training for vacation is tangible. 

My happy for today is this colorful card I got from my friend in Texas.

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Monkeying Around

The exercising that I was hoping for today didn't happen.  I couldn't get to sleep last night.  After work I wove for a little over an hour.  Not as long as I was hoping, but my exhaustion level is pretty high right now.  It seems like the afternoon flew by and I have run out of time and energy to weave more tonight.  I managed to totally forget to pick up a battery for the Honda on my way home too.  Tomorrow is another day.  I'm hoping that sleep will be easier to come by tonight and I will be rested in the morning.

Happy things today include:

• Talking with my friend in Texas while I wove 
• Bursting out in song while getting ready for dinner
• Gideon's reaction to the song, "WHAT??"
• Gideon having Alexa play the song so he could dance
• K made a lovely shepherd's pie for dinner that included some extra veggies like zucchini
• It was 69 degrees in Big Bend National Park today
• Tea in my new mug

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Big Bend

One of my Christmas gifts from last month is supposed to be tickets to fly to Texas and visit family and friends.  Today I got a phone call from C, my youngest, about the visit.  They wanted to know if I would be interested in hanging with them and a group of people, aged 20-30 ish, that are anarchists.  What entered my mind?  Protesting, like maybe the migrant detention camps.  But no, this is camping at Big Bend National Park.   So I try to get more information about the plan.  The response is that they are anarchists and don't really have much of a plan yet.  So I'm probably going to be hanging with some unorganized people next month that are half my age and camping in Texas.  I am not an anarchist.  Big Bend looks AMAZING though. 

Today was spent at my friends house weaving and planning for the upcoming event.  It was good.  We didn't take a walk today though.  In hindsight, I should have made a point of walking.  I need to get into better shape for Big Bend.  We were productive sitting and weaving and planning, though.  There were productive phone calls and chats for the upcoming event too.  Will I get out and exercise tomorrow is the question for myself.

My happy for today is the possibility of camping with my youngest and their partner, E.  It is hard living so far apart.  This will be a great way to catch up with C and get to know E better. 
I'm also really grateful for friends who are willing to help me jump-start the car.  Tomorrow I need to buy a battery too. 

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Indecision

There is a cat that is probably going to attempt to walk on my laptop at some point and I will have to tell her no.  I'm visiting a friend and sometimes Heather, the cat, comes to say hello; sometimes she doesn't.  Tonight she is undecided whether to stay or go.  She has come and gone at least three times tonight.

Weaving Circle was very small today.  That kind of worked out okay with me, we went for a walk.  It isn't as cold today as it was yesterday.  That and the sun getting lower on the horizon made for some pretty clouds.  My happy for today is the walk we went on.  I did weave as well.  The band is about a foot longer now.  

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Hair

One of the things about winter with long hair is the way that static, sweaters, pillows, and jackets combine to create a mess when enough time isn't spent brushing it throughout the day.  I have had various lengths of long hair for about 45 years.  Today it was a rough job to get the tangles out.  It has been a year since it was last trimmed, possibly to the day.  K and I got our hair cut to the same length for our investiture last January.  Since then she cut hers to about shoulder level.  She asked me last week if I wanted to get matching hair cuts again for the event.  I just laughed... and laughed.  My hair hasn't been that short since early grade school. 

Weaving is approximately a third of the way to the length I am hoping to get.  I did some measuring today and I can probably get away with a little less.  The meditation music definitely helped give me something to hear that I didn't have to concentrate on.  Tomorrow is weaving circle, I may do embroidery if it is busy.  The pattern is pretty much embedded into my brain at this point, but I still seem to make a silly mistake when distracted.  

My happy today was getting out in the fresh snow for a short time.  The cars had to be parked in the city parking garage so the plows can do their job.  It was a cold 14 degrees out and the snow was coming down in tiny flakes that was coating everything quickly.

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Hair, the song from the movie.

Aham Prema

Yesterday one of the teachers and I were talking about my weaving project and how I keep making mistakes with the smallest distractions.  She suggested that I try listening to mantras.  I kind of blew it off (sorry that I did) thinking that it would be distracting too.  I decided to try anyway.  A quick search led me to one that seemed fairly innocuous.  For a little under ten minutes I listened to someone chant Aham Prema which means 'I am divine love.'  It is supposed to be calming and help awaken the inner soul and put the body, heart and mind into alignment--at least that is how I am understanding it from the random internet searches.  What came up after the mantra video was over was music from Tibet, I think.  It was pretty and had chimes and was calming.  I was able to weave with that on and it didn't distract me.

I went to work on the dress for the event in the afternoon.  K carved out some stamps and we stamped the design onto the fabric.  I had to take one of the seams out in order to put the dress flat and stamp it.  I love how the stamps look on the dress.  Getting to do this is my happy for today.  My partner in this clothing challenge also got her fabric stamped.  I'm getting a little more excited about this whole thing.

K carving

Sneak peak. 

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"Driving My Life Away"

Snow plows helped to wake me this morning after I hit the snooze alarm.  This caused me to actually get up and going earlier than I may have otherwise so I would have time to clear snow.  Then I got the call for a two hour delay.  I continued getting ready for work, did the dishes, had a healthy breakfast and then went back upstairs to weave.  I set another alarm so I would leave on time.  I did.  On the way to work the passenger side windshield wiper decided to fly away.  I was late to work.  But I have a new passenger side wiper now! 

My happy for today was that moment when I knew that I had two hours to be productive in and I was!  I was productive for a few hours before dinner tonight too. 

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"Driving My Life Away"
Played while I had one wiper this morning.

Green Eggs-No Ham

After doing some math I am concerned that I may not finish the weaving in time.  At the same time, it is likely that I am overestimating how much footage I will need, so maybe it'll all work out.  Weaving is what has overtaken my brain after work.  I'll try to find other topics to discuss.... try.  Today I ate too much and exercised too little.  And I wove.  

At school we finished an osmosis experiment.  This involved an egg.  I'm glad it is over and I no longer need to worry about breaking the egg.  There were questions that I had when we finished that weren't part of the experiment.  I should start writing these things down to try with Gideon some time.  

My happy for today is that Gideon is already starting to feel better.  He came down with a cold the other day and was pretty miserable.  So far the rest of us are okay or at least aren't experiencing it as severely.  

Green Egg

Ooey gooey colorful egg mess. 

Slowly weaving along. 

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"The time of day doesn't last"

The weaving is moving slower than I had hoped.  However, I found an even better place to weave that is more comfortable than the one I found last night.  It involves my bed, blankets and propping the loom up.  It puts me away from the people in the house but that may help things move along faster.  If I am not able to pick up the speed at least a little and put more time in every day it won't be done in time. 

Gideon has a cold.  Since I have no time for a cold I am going to work on getting the exercise and time outdoors that gives me fresh air and energy.  Sleep is also important.  I haven't been sleeping well but will work on that too.  Perhaps staying healthy is another good reason to keep myself sequestered in my room weaving. 

After work I stopped off to measure my counterpart for the upcoming event's fashion show.  The office where she works is cut out of a rocky hillside.  There is still some snow and ice that stuck around after last weekend's thaw.  Had the sky not been overcast I think there would have been a bit more glow to the rocks.  The pictures below and helping a friend are my happy things for today. 

There is a place in town that occasionally decorates. 

 Last year there were icicles and they have also hung flamingos.  

Today I found lights down this walkway. 

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Title by The Moody Blues
Tuesday Afternoon

Short post for a Long Monday

Today I seem to be missing people.  I'm not sure if anything sparked this or if it is just a general cycle that I tend to go through.  Perhaps it is age.  Whatever the reason, there are people that I miss.  Some are no longer with us, some far away, and some not too far away but I haven't seen lately.  Chances are good that if you know me and are reading this I miss you. 

Things I am happy about today:

• I returned my library book on time.  It didn't get read, but it was returned.  
• With some end of the evening pacing I made my step count for today.  
• Some weaving got done.  I may have come up with a configuration that is more comfortable and better on my back.

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Weaving

The weekend went by fast,  I thought I would have more done on my weaving, but a few inches is all I have.  I made a mistake and had to go back to fix it.  Tomorrow I will be more careful.  One of the things that I do with tablet weaving is to color each edge differently so that it is obvious when one turned when it shouldn't have.  With the cards I am using they have dashes instead.  This is not as obvious.  Tomorrow they will get color. 

On the accountability front, I haven't been making the best eating choices as I'd like, but still not terrible.  Today I spent much of the day sitting and doing research, redesigning my pattern and weaving.  Which is where my focus is right now-getting ready for the event.  Today I was so focused on the art stuff that I lost track of time for the exercise stuff.  Had I taken a break my back would be less sore now. 

One happy thing for today is seeing all the things that I have been thinking about doing start to take shape.  There is more to do, but I believe it will get done.  The other lady that is working with me on this project is making progress with her outfit as well. 

Another happy is a Christmas gift I got today from my niece in Idaho.  She sent me a ceramic mug with my name in it.  It is hand painted.  I'm not sure if she painted it or had it done.  I look forward to using it with a cup of herbal tea.

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Beach

This was probably not the best day to spend in a class.  From ten in the morning until four in the afternoon that is where I was.  It was a training class to train people to make presentations for suicide prevention through the AFSP.  I'm still on the fence as to whether this is something that I want to do.  It seems to be all volunteer and I am involved in another volunteer organization.  Historical education doesn't quite compare to possibly saving people's lives, but I am committed to the SCA for the next few years.  That said, it seems this wouldn't have a huge time commitment if I did want to do it.

The reason that it wasn't the best day to be in class is that the weather was gorgeous.  The class took place at a YMCA, so seeing people come and go in shorts didn't seem odd.  It is the eleventh of January in NH and stepping outside around four in the afternoon and finding the temperature over 60 degrees was surprising.  Perhaps I should watch the weather report more often.  I seem to remember seeing that it would be in the 50's, but I don't think I believed it.  Walking out of the class, the sun starting to get low I decided that I needed to go to the beach.

I was only a few towns away from the ocean and so I let Z know I would be home later than expected and headed down the road.  Again I was surprised.  This time by how many other people were at the beach.  I shouldn't have been, I know, but I was.  It wasn't busy like summer, there was parking, and most folks were not on the sand.  I walked on the sand for a bit and then onto the sidewalk as it got dark.  The wind was blowing and the air was fresh.   The sun set and most of the people went away.  Walking the beach is my happy for today.  The weather was so nice there were motorcycles and convertibles out. 

I tried to chase the moon for a little bit too. 

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