Exhausted

What a weekend ...

It is a good thing that the roads up here are probably impassable today. I will catch up on my sleep, drink tea and felted tea cozies.

On Sunday morning I finished (finally) sewing in the loose ends of Max's striped sweater.

I also went to a pottery class where I glazed the bread baker and designed and almost finished making the breakfast tray insert. It will be a mountain scene with a border of tiles stamped with fish, leaves and other natural things.

I organized all my patterns for the crafts I am playing with and put them into a big binder. Then I designed a cover using Tamarak's Zentangle idea. It is called "Neither Fish Nor Fowl".

This is fun ... a form of meditation that I used to play with fifty years ago ... and one I have seen my 26 year old grandson play with when he was a kid.

It is based on the idea that by placing each line consciously, you center yourself, and on the proviso that erasers are not allowed, so, as in life, you build on your mistakes.

It seems a good way to capture the essence of my craft making these days ... full of mistakes but the joy comes from the making not the finished product. That is the complete antithesis of what my craft making was when I was younger.

In the afternoon we met Maggie, the Bernese Mountain Dog. She is so lovely I lusted after her. I like dogs or I wouldn't do what I do, but this dog was MARVELOUS. Kenya thought so too. They played full out and then Maggie came in the house with us and Kenya stayed outside to play with Maggie's three kids. Maggie explored the house and then came and put her lovely great head in my lap for the rest of the interview. I could have eaten her up.

In the evening Tamarak and her family (including the two dogs) came for a down home kind of dinner ... chicken breasts cooked in the slow cooker with black beans, corn kernels, salsa and cream cheese. I should have served a salad with it; it would have been a fresher tasting choice. Instead we had carrot and mushroom casserole and different kinds of breads. And wine of course.

When Jesse got bored she went up and took a bubble bath in the tub with the air jets.

By the time 10 p.m. arrived, they all headed home and I was ready for bed.

Normally I would have awakened at 6 a.m. ready for a new day. Not today. Today I was awake at 6:30 and groggy from a sleepless night. Kenya was up from 1 - 3:30 ... frantically pacing and crying. I went through all the likely things ... took her out to pee ... gave her a cookie ... encouraged her to sleep with me ... took her out and walked her thinking she needed to go. She simply led me from the front door, around the side of the house to the ledge overlooking the lake and back in the back door. That was not the problem.

I got up and looked up anxiety in dogs and she curled up at my feet in the corner half under the computer desk and went to sleep.

My den is on the west side of the house; my bedroom on the east where the storm was attacking.

That is when I finally realized that it was the ice melting and crashing off the tin roof and the sound of freezing rain being blown against the windows that were causing such anxiety. She must have felt as if her home was under attack.

Funny ... she doesn't spook easily ... not enamored by gunshots but little else causes much dismay. And I don't remember last year being a problem ... but maybe that is because the ice only came off the roof on sunny days.

I became firm, she finally fell asleep and we slept till morning. Today she has no interest in going outside ... still spooked I guess.

I have started my day by having tea in my Christmas bear mug. It is, after all, December 1.

I will do the indoor decorating this week, and next weekend Tammy and Carlos will come and help do the upstairs trees with me.

I have some tiny decorations but need more, so maybe I will try needle felting some balls and snow people.

I hope you have a peaceful, productive, creative week. That's what I intend to have.