Puzzle Madness

 One of the things I do to save what is left of my sanity is sing.

The other thing that I do is jigsaw puzzles.

I have posted some before.

But I don't think I have done a thousand piece puzzle that has taken me two months to complete.

I even had to walk away from it for a couple of weeks because I was getting so frustrated. 

But it is a beautiful puzzle and I really wanted to get it done.

Last night I finished it.

It is a cat.  Oh, and there is a nice little border to it. The border was a no-brainer.

The latest puzzle

 

 

 

But the middle? Well, that was a bit tricky. It has another 11 cats, drawers, yarn, baskets and flowers in various colors of similar hue and density.

Take a look.

 This one, I think I shall save. It really is pretty.

Who knows, it may turn into something woven in the future.......

It All Matters

Sometimes people are more than nice.

They may not even be friends of yours. You may know them but not well. They may have met you only in a professional capacity.

And disappear from your life.

And then reappear.

Several years ago two parents came to me to see if I could help their child in a professional capacity. They retained me and the saga began. 

They requested my services several times. And I always did my best.

They made monthly payments to me. They never forgot. But sometimes my services would be needed again before they had finished paying for the previous engagements.

Last month, the last payment came in. I was so happy because it meant that the child had not been in need of my services for a long time.

And then....

The child violated the terms of his probation.

I called the parents to see if the child was alright.

The mother and I talked for a long time. They did not need my services right now but she needed a sounding board.

During the conversation I told her of my impending retirement and she asked me what I intended to do with my time.

I told her about my (up to now, unfruitful and frustrating) search for a weaving loom that I could afford. She asked me what kind of weaving I intended to do and I told her.

And she says:
"I have a weaving loom. Would you like it?"

If I hadn't been sitting down, I would have fallen down.

How much? I asked.


"no, do you want it? I want it to go to a good home."

Ok, now I AM on the floor.

Today we drove to her home and picked up a 36" Harrisville, four shaft, six treadle loom.

Now that may not mean anything to you but to me it is a dream come true.

Her child has return to old ways and there is nothing I can do for him but she is kind enough and gentle enough to give me a dream. 

There are amazing people out there. In places that you would not expect.

And I learned something. (or was reminded of what I had already learned)

It all matters.

What you do. What you say. What you think. 

It will re-enter your life.

And sometime bring you presents.

Nature's symphony

There is something hypnotic about hummingbirds.

The sound of their wings.

The flashes of their colors.

The speed of their flight.

It all adds up to something much greater than its parts.

They don't just hover. They dance.

They don't just fly. They dart.

They are here and then they are not.

Yesterday we moved one of the feeders into the sun.

(I took these with just my phone. Sometimes I wish I had a real camera...but then again, I am not allowed around office equipment so I doubt that the outcome would have been as good.)

They darted and danced and screamed at each other. It was an aerial ballet with nature's symphony. 

Pretty as a Picture

This morning seemed like a good time to check on the water tank. 

It hadn't gotten hot yet and Zelda wanted to walk.

So, up we went.

Today, unlike most days climbing our little mountain, the landscape was awash in color. Lots of color. 

Which, of course, meant I had to take pictures.

Wild flowers at the bottom of the hill

 Going up doesn't look as steep as it feels! (And those are poppies and little white snow flowers!)

Young California Poppies

 And we tread lightly to avoid the poppies.

Zelda sniffing snow flowers

I have to walk behind Zelda to keep her going. Otherwise, her nose will lead her to lots of strange places.

View to the  East from the top of the "mountain"

 This is my favorite view. The antenna for our internet and phone is up here. Best place for the solar power and the microwave connections! And the wind doth blow up here!

The water tank and the house from the top of the "mountain"

I like this one, too. It's a long way down!

On the way back

 Going down is very slow. The ground is very sandy and loose. The rivulets are from the last rain storm.

"fish rock" at the side of the trail

 We have several granite out-croppings. This one just looks like a giant fish head to me.

Thistle?

Close up of the thistle

We do not know the name of this plant. It is gorgeous! If anyone knows what it is, let me know. 

And that is your tour for today.

Please enjoy the rough, dusty dirt road on your way out!

What a beautiful day.