Hi everyone! I thought I’d give you all a vicarious blizzard experience since luckily we still have power, and a snug house, food and entertainment. There’s a YouTube video as well as still photos. If you live in New England, never mind…just go outside! It’s still blowing with sustained winds about 25 mph here, with gusts to over 50! This first bit is some video I shot this morning. This is the first time I’ve ever tried to narrate, so apologies for any (all) mess-ups with the audio!
I have NO idea how neighbor-and-plow-guy Alex is going to plow the mountain of snow, and it is simply too windy for him to come out, as he usually does, and make multiple passes every time another six inches falls. Besides which the wind would just blow the snow all over anyway!
The weather stations tells us what we already knew: it is cold and blowing lots of snow! That is air temp of 8 Fahrenheit, -14 wind chill, and a momentary lull in the wind…only 17 mph!
Eli decided to take the dog out as I got ready to take pictures and video. The dog was NOT amused. He got 2 1/2 of his feetsies outside the door and promptly turned around to come back in. Eli got him out:
Eli is excited. Widgeon is NOT.
Eli “encouraged” Widgeon to check it out (ie. dropped him into the snow). Widgeon is NOT amused.
As you can see, coaxing the dog to go pee by the pine tree (protected from the wind by the tree) wasn’t successful either, as the snow is much deeper than Widgeon is tall. I think he’s saying “MAMA! Come rescue me! HOW could you make me go OUT in this????”
And the before and after pics, first looking at the view (or what is left of it):
The view in mid-December 2012
In the beginning, there was an inch of snow over the previously bare ground. This was taken on Friday morning.
Twenty four hours later…
Saturday morning, couldn’t hardly see the trees at the bend in the driveway, let alone the hills beyond. It is maybe 1/10th of a mile to the trees. I promise, they are still there. In the blowing snow.
Then the garage, before:
Light fluffy stuff came down on Friday during the day, coating the roof and logs for next year’s wood burning.
and after:
Saturday morning, Feb. 9, 2013. All that coating on the roof and logs is now blown uphill and the snow is coming down heavy and blowing sideways.
The woods to the west of the house when the snow began.
And this morning. When I looked out the bedroom window in this direction when I woke up all I saw was white stuff going sideways. In the lower left you can see where the wind has blown down to grass, yet other spots have 4 foot deep drifts.
And now I’m going to clean up the dishes and shower while we have electricity; if power goes out, so does the water pump! Then a cozy day at home reading and working on my watercolor class! Hope you’ve enjoyed the blizzard…we are! Joshua and Ashley are also home–most businesses (almost all?) are closed down, and texting works! So we are snug in our home, together.
My friend Cathy Neri, of Quilt Books Unlimited (visit her awesome booth at shows) sent me this clip on FB, and I just had to share, as you all know how much I adore our pug, Pigwidgeon. Enjoy (and I’ll share what Cathy said: spew alert…don’t have a mouthful of anything to drink!):
The oldest ornaments go up near the top of the tree, safe from cats, dogs and my own general klutziness. The little dog and blonde angel (just left of the balalaika) were present decorations from my cousin Anne when I was about 6. The clear glass snowman (left of dog, hard to see) is even older. The reindeer on the far left is also from Anne. The two round crystal were ridiculously expensive; purchased when I was in my mid-20s and are Lalique crystal and BEAUTIFUL. Plus I love cardinals; bought this one in Kalispell, Montana, on a trip to take a class with Hollis Chatelain in 2002.
Another tradition that goes back almost as long as I can remember is listening to this recording of The Night the Animals Talked.
Mom gave me a record when I was a girl…probably when I was about 8 or 9, that included the story “The Night the Animals Talked.” She gave me a small record player, pink with white, with a gray fuzzy turntable the size of a dessert or salad plate. And every Christmas Eve, I would listen to this story and the soothing voice of the cow.
As vinyl records gave way to cassette tapes, I recorded it from album to tape, and continued to listen to it every single Christmas Eve without fail. Then CDs arrived, but no CD version of it, so I kept up with my cassette. Finally, the last boom box with a cassette player died, and I could only sit in my cold car in the garage and listen to it there. Then I sold that car and (duh) my new car plays my iPod, not cassettes. 2010 was the first year I couldn’t listen to this version. I googled it up again this year, and lo and behold, I found it! So in 45+ years I’ve only missed once. I’ve now got it on my iPod, but thought I’d share with you here.
(NOTE…DRAT! They appear to have changed the way the website works and now want you to create a free account. Hmmm. NOT. Thank heavens I have my copy on my laptop. You can find the later, 1970 ish, TV version on YouTube. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Sorry about that. Same story, but the voices just aren’t the same.)
Grab a cuppa cocoa or cheer, close your eyes, settle back for a few minutes, and listen to the gentle voice of the cow as she narrates the story ….
Another very oldie but goodie is my now-one-eyed Santy Claus, who is tucked in behind a small blown-glass chipmunk. S. Claus is at least 45 years old. The squirrel is from a set Eli and I bought at LL Bean in Freeport about 6 years ago.
And some of the newest ornaments: Eli (I’ve taught him well!) came home from Australia in 2011 with an ornament of the Sydney Opera House. In the upper left corner is the tip of a ferry from when we lived on San Juan Island, ditto for the bald eagle on its nest in the lower right corner. The tall white hat is a Sucre woman’s hat from Bolivia, and the pink flamingo I couldn’t resist when we visited Key West this past summer, and the dog on the right was for our dearly departed Yeti, the ginormous dog-beast.
The stockings aren’t far from the hearth, which is decked out with things that have moved with us from pillar to post. Even is our spot on the globe has changed every so often, there is continuity in Christmas. The tic-toc Santa on the shelf to the left of the hearth I’ve had (at least) since I was 6, which means he’s been around the world. The copper and brass things on the heart are from Argentina (where I lived when I was 4-5) and Peru (where mom lived before she met dad).
Gosh it has been busy! Is it as insane at your house as at mine? At long last the tree is trimmed, almost all of the gifts are wrapped, in a minute I’ll start the rum cake and stuffing for tomorrow, and then I can breathe. In the meantime, this is what I’ve been doing the past few weeks, including a FABULOUS online class with watercolorist Val Webb. If you feel the urge to try something new, she’s starting another class on painting culinary herbs in early January and I highly recommend her…details below!
The tree is finally trimmed!
I do believe we have just about hit maximum capacity on our tree. I’ve collected ornaments since my late teens, with a set for my parents and a set for me. Now I have all of them. Even leaving off the duplicates, we’re a bit full! The good news is that I have duplicates, so both boys will eventually have a set of family memories to get them started.
Many years of gifts from my Frayed Edges friends are in this zone of the tree. I may have enough to eventually do an entire small tree the way we are going! I can also spot ornaments from D.C., Moscow, Bolivia, the Oregon Trail, Mount Washington, Maine, and a friend in grade school!
This year I used the owl ribbon from Renaissance Ribbons as my starting point. He’s hanging next to Kathy’s bird!
My foot is doing well! I got the stitches out last Friday, and on Wednesday I get to see if I can get my foot into a sneaker! That’s less than 3 weeks after surgery! This time has gone even better than the other foot, and that one went great!
Air-cast comes off in 48 hours! And I LOVE the lime green stretch velvet leggings I found on sale at Macy’s (needed to make a quick trip to the Maine Mall when I was down for my appointment…and got sidetracked walking through Macy’s)
Getting downstairs in an air-boot is do-able but awkward, so I’ve not been sewing or quilting, but doing things upstairs instead: watercolors! One of the ladies in my small online sketching group found Val Webb’s website. GOOD JOB! I love calligraphy, fonts and all sorts of lettering, and this one is just up my alley: the intersection of lettering and watercolors. I have learned SO MUCH! The price of the class, $50, is unbelievably reasonable for the 10 weekly sessions. You’ve got 4 months in which to do them: there are several pages of downloads, instruction on a closed web page, and two videos (usually about 30 minutes) in each lesson! Literally I learned something not 2 minutes into the first video. Being able to see how liquid to make your paint (I’ve been working too dry) and how to hold your brush… I can’t tell you how many great tips I’ve picked up. PLUS if you wish, Val will critique your work either in a private email or on the closed online group.
Here’s part of the third lesson, which focuses on things Celtic including Uncial letters. I made up the S, and am thrilled that I actually did it. Next: watercolor it.
Since I learn so much from critiques, I was the first to volunteer to have Val critique my pieces in the group setting. Many others have followed suit, and I am learning from each and every set of suggestions. Val’s manner of speaking (writing) is so gentle, encouraging and kind, yet she points out where you can work on things to make them even better. Students range from rank beginner to professional artist, but we are ALL learning. WONDERFUL!
Celtic knotwork from the lesson, with just the outer edge painted in a yellow-new Gamboge color. Will finish maybe tonight?
And talk about being HAPPY! I pulled out some of my celtic books for ideas, sketched out an S and some designs, listened to Val’s great video (that the outline on the letter is what creates the “cords” that feed into the design), modified slightly so that my knotwork wasn’t a free-standing design inside the wide parts of the S but instead connected to the outlining, and WOW am I happy! So happy that instead of painting this in my class sketchbook which has 90-wt mixed media paper, that I got out PROPER watercolor paper (I have 5×7 size). My drawing was a tad too big, so I reduced it on my printer/copier to fit, and now it awaits me having time to paint it well. The color swatches on the full page are me testing out colors to use. Val said it looks best if you use a light color for the outlining, so I’m trying the warm yellow with a blue for the main part of the interlace (photo above) and probably a deep reddish purple for the dark bits (the background). If I can manage the colors well on the knotwork, I’ll repeat them for the S.
S is for Smith. Or Sarah. Or whatever. I like it!
So you ask, is Sarah leaving quilting? Heavens, NO! I like taking classes in other media just to freshen myself up–good design is good design, whether architecture, landscape, tea kettles, calligraphy, painting, quilting. It all reinforces my learning which I can then apply to my quilting and I feel more excited about the process.
Val’s next class is Culinary Herbs. If you click on this link, scroll down to the 3rd of October for details!
I’ll pop back later with a Christmas Eve update. MERRY CHRISTMAS–no matter what your faith, let us celebrate friendship, community, learning, art, all together!
Sheesh…. crazy busy here! I had surgery on my left foot on Friday, the same as what I had in August on my right foot, for arthritis removal. Things are going quite well and pain-free, but I have been insanely busy getting stuff done in anticipation of bobbing around on one foot for a week! Last Saturday was the start of Eli’s high school wrestling career, with a pre-season meet that included Class A, B and C schools (Camden Hills is Class B). Eli had three matches: his first was against a senior and the defending Class C State Champion (!!!!). Astonishingly, Eli managed to get a couple of escape points and NOT get pinned, which under the circumstances was amazing (since boys’ strength increases exponentially each year…kinda like dog years!). Then he won his next two matches convincingly.
Illuminated script lettering from Val Webb’s Watercolor Lettering class.
I’ve also been taking the most WONDERFUL online “Watercolor Lettering” class with Val Webb. The class is hosted privately, not via an online store or school. She creates a private group on Facebook where we can share, you download instructions from a password-protected blog (that is open for about 4 months which you have to work on the 10-week class), and there are video tutorials (some 30 minutes long!) there. I have learned SO MUCH! The example above is one I completed today, and it is probably the best thing I’ve ever done in watercolors. Val’s critiques are offered privately or, if you ask, on the group. Since I learn so much from reading the critiques, I have gladly offered mine up for sharing on the group, as have others. Val is generous yet points out in the nicest way what you can work on…helping you see where there are inconsistencies that might be done differently the next time. Just wonderful!
Me at home last night, showing a friend what the knee scooter looks like.
On Friday, after slamming all week to get stuff done in my studio, mow about 8 acres (literally) of meadow before winter and get the riding mower tucked away for winter, and do chores more easily done from two feet, I had my second surgery. Basically, the doc puts you under with something similar to the anasthesia they use for a colonoscopy (you have blissful amnesia after the fact), then takes a drill to remove the arthritic growth from one’s big toe. The only hard part for me, last time, was that I had to use a walker (crutches would ahve been as bad); because of the arthritis in my thumbs, putting weight on my hands to get to places (like the bathroom) was SO painful–far worse than the foot! So the ER recovery nurse suggested we rent a “knee scooter.” A what? She pulled it up on a laptop, showed me, we called the Medical supply place in Portland (on our way home) to reserve one, and I am SO HAPPY! I can get around the house easily!
Eli’s first match yesterday, in the official season-opener meet, was against the MDI (Mount Desert Island) kid who placed third in Eastern Regionals last year. As you can see, the boy (in green) is seriously ripped–that’s Eli in red grabbing his leg.
So easily, in fact, that since this surgery is on my left foot, I was told I could drive whenever I felt up to it. Well, yesterday was Eli’s first “official” high school wrestling meet and I had been SO bummed I wouldn’t be able to go due to the walker. Not any more! I felt up to it, and I MADE IT to the meet! It helps that the meet was in a town only 30 minutes drive, too. So I got myself and scooter into my car and went! And Eli had a fabulous start (of course he did, he rocks!). As a matter of fact, the team had a fabulous start. They lost 7 out of 13 Varsity team members to graduation last year, including 3 state champions. Yet, the team WON the 6-team Class B meet! Ellsworth obliterated four of the other teams, and Camden Hills obliterated Ellsworth. Can we all say “WAY COOL!”
Well…here’s just before the end of the third period, where Eli is getting the MDI boy on his back, again. Eli won, 10-3! That’s against the boy who was 3rd at Eastern Regionals last year. Papa Smith was VERY pleased!
And another move, where Eli is cranking on the boy in green, trying to get his shoulders to the mat and pin him, thereby ending the match immediately. He almost managed a couple of times, but this was definitely his toughest match of the day. The boy in green, by the way, is swiveling his hips to face down to prevent Eli from getting the pin, and the referee is down on the mat so he can peer underneath when it is close to see if it is a pin or not-quite.
Eli’s second match was against another seriously-strong young man from Ellsworth, here. Although this photo is blurry, I love how it shows the motion and intensity of the matches. That’s Eli on the left driving in to his opponent.
Honestly, I’m not sure why the wrestlers (boys and girls) love this so much. Personally, I would not love having someone’s knee in my back and my face held into the mat! Eli is (duh) in good control position here.
And a win “by fall” (which means Eli pinned his opponent, the kind of win that gets the team the most points). Eli also won his third match, which was against the JV member of the Belfast team. The varsity 152-pounder wasn’t there, but is apparently exceedingly good, was 3rd at States last year.
So, Eli’s official start to his high school wrestling (supplemented by two win-by-forfeits, where the opposing team didn’t have a kid to compete in his weight class) is a 5-0 record. WELL DONE! The rest of the team did extremely well… so proud of all of them including the coaches, kids, JV, and manager. This year the coaches are: PK, the high school science teacher, former coach and former Camden Hills wrestler and State Champion is coach, True Bragg is Asst Coach (had been Middle School coach, and he too went to Camden and was State Champion), Coach Goodspeed (been around since 1982 as head coach, part of the room and asst coach) and Paul as Asst Coach also. Thanks to the men, ranging in age from mid 20s to 70 ish, for helping. WOOT!
So that’s what I’ve been doing. Since I am allowed to put NO WEIGHT on my left foot all week, I hope to get caught up on some computer work: accounting for my teaching trips this year, learning InDesign (or at least starting), learning my new iPhone (I LOVE IT!), caught up on watercolor lessons, make some small Christmas gifties, write the Christmas newsletter, order the Christmas cards, do some fun reading, watch a couple DVDs I ordered like a year ago… hmmm…sounds like I need several weeks! I promise to try to be better about blogging! Meanwhile, enjoy the holiday season. Happy Hannukah to those who celebrate–personally, I believe in joining in all celebrations of light and goodness and joy!
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