Yesterday was what I call and Artist Date Day (borrowed from Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way)

After going to the dentist, and realizing that my feet were up for it, I poked around in thrift shops for book making elements.  I bought a denim blouse to wear for a while, but its ultimate destination is a book cover.  Also a necklace to cut up for book closures and some rag paper. Then took myself out to lunch where I watched the first class in this year's Gel Printing Summit.

By 3:00, my feet were saying it's time to go home--where I did all but the stitching on a new animal-print-covered buttonhole stitch book!

One of the things I've learned in the past few years--what with the cloud hanging over us until Trump gets on one of Elon's spaceships and goes far far away (an image I'm stealing from Jane Goodall's interview)--is that we have to grab what brings us joy, whatever it is, and go for it!  Maybe we can't do it as long as we could in years past, but we can eke out whatever time we can find to play and get paint on our fingers.

My go-to-bed activities including snuggling with Luci and watching some good murder mysteries on Acorn--my favorite being The Crow Girl.  But mostly watching classes and making lists of things to do the next day.

I hope you're all finding time for some solo artist dates to distract you from the horrors of the Trump people (Jan thinks Karoline Leavitt is an AI construction, not a real person)  and to keep the magic of yourself alive until this is all over. 

I find myself humming, "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" when things happen that delight me.  

My day started with an extraordinary email from a longtime friend I rarely see, and it literally made me tear up with gratitude and happiness.

Then I cut out and laminated (paper to paper) two beautiful book covers that are now drying in my messy house.

I went over to Sunset Ridge to CVS and saw a crowd of people outside the Boss Bagel shop I've never gotten around to trying.  Half of them, inside and outside, had dogs and kids; some were alone reading books and papers.  I haven't actually eaten there yet, but according to a few people enjoying them, they just might be the best bagels in town. 

So then I came home and made a spinach quiche, and it's so delicious I wish I were having a dinner party.  I'm having my second piece while watching "Famous Last Words" on Netflix, a wonderful interview with Jane Goodall filmed before her death.

Jan said, "This is who flags should fly half-mast to!" She was a remarkable human being and conservationist and lover of animals.  For her ninetieth birthday, she got what she asked for--a party of ninety dogs!

Surprise visit

 When I came home from my morning coke run, I knew Elena was on her way.  I was looking for Will's truck, and I saw a jeep in the driveway instead!

Turns out Nathan is home for the weekend and I hadn't gotten to see him since he started college. 

He loves Texas Tech and wishes he had joined their band.  He's making A's in all his classes and seems so happy!

Last night with Conway, Charlie, and Elena

 This is my last night with my girl!  It's been delightful!   On school days we get up early and I take Elena to school, then pick her up after volleyball practice. 

We watch an episode of Gilmore Girls after dinner.  Then she walks Luci for me and talks to her friends.

One night, we'd left dog food outside the back door and a skunk with a huge bushy stand-up tail and a possum came right up to the door and had themselves a party while we watched.  She named one of them Petunia. 

I'm going to miss her so much! Tonight E and her parents, back from Colorado, are coming for dinner....chili and cornbread, my bow to the predicted "cold front" coming in. 

 My country girl has never lived in a neighborhood, so she's having a great teenaged time--especially since she has three friends from her school nearby. 

Yesterday we bought groceries so she can make fancy desserts, then she met her friend at the Quarry to walk around for a couple of hours.  Then last night another friend from Ogden Lane came over and they watched movies in the casita.  I think this might be a good time to ask her to come live with me!

Poor Conway--it takes him several minutes to get up with his arthritic legs, but he does anything I ask him to and his stub of a tail wags every time anyone walks into the room.  He loves Luci's salmon treats, so he gets them just for being here.

Elena sleeps with this "bonnet" to keep her curls intact. 

This is Elena and her new best friend Stratton, showing off their matching eyes.

Here she is with her other best friend Byrd, who lives one block from here--showing off her strawberry dessert last night. 

HOUSE PARTY ALL WEEK

 Elena and two of her three dogs are staying with me for six whole days--and it's already wonderful! 

Conway (Twitty) is a blind and arthritic Australian Shepherd who barely moves about anymore.  He's reached the stage in his life when he prefers to lie in the sun or on the floor for hours.  

Charlie and Luci are about the same size, Charlie an adorable poodle mix.   They are all three so sweet and agreeable.  When I asked Conway to come inside where it's cool, he slowly got himself on all fours and followed my voice inside, where he seems perfectly content.  

After school, I drove to Bulverde for a volleyball game. Aftewards, we went to Specht's Store, Kate's restaurant for many years, sold ten years ago.  I had to have "Kate's catfish" again and it was delicious!  Elena had the salmon, equally good.  

I hadn't been to Specht's in years, not since Kate sold it, but I'll be going again.  The new owners have managed to keep the Kate vibe intact and it brought back many happy memories--including a night when a group of us friends went there and Kate's son and Will played guitar and sang.

If you want a fun old Texas tradition (the bar dates back to 1910) it's worth the drive, especially on weekends when they have live music!

Meanwhile, Will and Bonnie are having dinner with Nathan in Lubbock on their way to Colorado.

Finally...

Today I made the most challenging book yet--a deceptively simple-looking binding called the buttonhole stitch. 

When Jan came over before we walked tonight, I told her, "If I can make this, I can do anything."

She--generously--agreed.

This book has 12 signatures--that's 48 pages--of smooth Stonehenge paper, torn instead of cut to get the deckle-edges.  The cover was ridiculously difficult, but I love it so much I'll do it again.  It's made of thin Japanese paper laminated to a thicker paper, with a window in the spine.  

Tomorrow in the light, I'll take a picture of it.

Making books is, as I've said many times, good medicine, good therapy, and a wonderful way to get back in touch with myself after being away for a while.  It requires concentration and focus more than anything I've ever done before.  One simple mistake can throw off the whole thing. 

It's not a utilitarian project.  I have plenty of blank books.  It is, rather, an opportunity to learn a complex chain of individual skills in stitching and measuring and folding; choosing and ordering the right papers; bonding fabric to paper to make book cloth; and executing stitches I'd never heard of before before I signed up for the Handmade Book Club. 

Furthermore (and maybe it's just me), whether or not you ever intend to make a book, watching bookmakers' videos is fascinating.  Some are detailed tutorials, but there are also videos without words, usually just the hands of the maker whipping up magic with beautiful papers and threads. 

Centennial Birthday Party for My Mama

 If you're like me, one of your least favorite and most infuriating things to do is to make a tech support call: thirty minutes to get a human, then when you do he can't understand you and vice versa, then it goes on and on like that for an hour or two until, if you're like me, you hang up with no solution and in tears!

So this morning, locked out of Google and You Tube and a whole bunch of other Google-related sites, I called Daniel.  For $40 and fifteen minutes of his time, all issues seem to be solved--so I'm back on the blog and can post a few favorite photos from Carlene's 100th birthday.

Carlene, me, Jocelyn and Bob on her actual birthday, August 24th, at Presbyterian Village.  There were 12 of us family members, and after lunch we went to another room where she opened cards and gifts and read aloud the book I made her of her writing.

The day before, her friend Cathy--who lives in a house in independent living--hosted a luncheon in her home  and the birthday girl even took a few sips of champagne for the occasion.  

Now that I'm back in, I'll continue later.  If anyone local needs Daniel's phone number, just contact me and I'll send it along.  

Friday

Being home feels good--except that we're still in triple-digits in the afternoons. 

Carlene's 100th birthday was exactly what she wanted, twelve of us family there to celebrate with lunch and a cake, card, and present party afterwards.  My gift to her was a book of excerpts from her own writing over the years, and she read the entire book aloud to family,

Bob spoke about those who weren't there; Jocelyn beautifully decorated the dining room and activities room with balloons, flowers and two cakes; Andrew read aloud a poem he'd written; and many of the staff members showed up to hug Carlene.  By bedtime, she'd gotten about 200 cards from family members,  lifetime friends (including many of mine), and the new friends she's made since moving into Assisted Living in Athens a little over a year ago. 

On the day after her birthday we went to Best Buy to purchase a new laptop--because she wants to write about what it's like After A Hundred! 

We're all thankful for her great health and the fact that she's loving where she's living.  

I'll write more as I get settled back in.  

Travel Update

Freda recently reminded me that I once said, "Please remind me if I forget--never take a road trip in August!"  I was glad I asked for that reminder. 

So I have postponed my road trip with Luci until the fall and will be flying to celebrate my mother's 100th birthday instead.  As the ad for Viking River Cruises says so memorably,  "Spend less time getting there and more time being there." 

This advertising meme doesn't usually fit my traveling style, but in August it does.