We’re making progress, despite the loss of male bits yesterday. Sammie was very scared and disoriented when he first got home. It was like he didn’t know any of us or where he was. By evening he seemed to feel more at home.
By the way, it was so nice of the spay/neuter team to come out to our everything desert on their weekend to take such good care of our puppies and kitties.
Today we had a couple lap sessions and recliner time. He initiated. I was elated.
Sammie seems a little more tired today, but very loving.
Because of him, and aches and pains due to weather changes, I’ve gotten very little done today.
NaNoWriMo isn’t going well either. I reduced my word count goal to 25k.
Even piano was a short session.😥
The only thing that might show progress:
Mostly working on the sky it is easier to reach. Hopefully, I can start working on the dragon soon. The lighting show how sparkling the gems can be.
I hope you had a happy, safe, thoughtful Veterans’ Day. Thanks for your service folks.
Finally finished with the heels’ decreases. In about three inches the socks will fly in the mail.
Just a few strays and I’ll be halfway through. I usually take 3-5 pictures. The first pic with back light, circle/magnifying light, piano light, overhead light. Each light gives a different feeling. But it seems my favorite is with just the overhead. It seems to make the ‘diamonds’ sparkle. The only trouble is you can see the glare of the protective cellophane. At my next sitting, I’ll turn it upside down and work up (down?).
Journaling my many hobbies has helped a lot in a lot of ways. But some things are hard to quantify. Or know of ways to talk about. Outside of pictures my yarn crafts just grow or are frogged back. The diamond painting doesn’t reflect well in journals either.
Then there’s the boring things like stationary bike time/distances which doesn’t change much. Duolingo has its own goals and rewards so I don’t journal. Although… Maybe it’s time to take notes and keep track of new vocabulary?
The piano journal is helping a lot! If I read the notes from my last run of a piece I see the problem spots. If it’s a big problem I start there then play the song. I’m beginning to love my piano time. That’s worthy of a FINALLY!
Oh, and my violin journal is freaking out with successes. No, I’m not ready for Carnegy, but full tunes. Not feeling like hiding the instrument in the closet is PROGRESS!
That’s probably enough for now.
Oh, NaNo is started but I need to get another 800 words before bed. I have no title or know where it’s heading. Best get busy!
Well into the water now. That dark part was difficult as the symbol # and the ‘A’ look alike in dark blue. I had to use my lighted magnifying glass to figure out what was needed.
I need another color for the rest of my ponytail holders. With only 2 inches to finish, this will be done by the end of the day. This is crocheted. I think I got the pattern on Etsy. Yep. Here.
So the watermelon socks are coming along. I debated whether to add the arch-hug as I call that ribbing but I really like how it’s working out. This pair should be way farther along but I had to tink out about 2 inches. And though I now knit Continental, ribbing is still slower. The finer yarn and needles are hard for my hands. I knit these in shorts spurts.
I had started the heel on these already but realized it was too soon. So I had to tink back. Another inch of arch then I can do into the heel.
Unfortunately for my hands, even this easier pair is at the arch ribbing. I hope I can move on to the heel in at least one pair. Like I said ribbing is slower and gets old.
In the music realm, my violin is moving SO SLOW! I figured out I was over resining the bow. This is where a live teacher would have helped a lot. Getting my lessons via YouTube can be risky. But I can now squeakily play Twinkle, Twinkle (ABCD…), and Mary Had A Little Lamb, and started Jingle Bells. Nothing sounds like music. The positioning of violin and bow are still awkward. The instrument seems to hold tuning well, now that I’ve figured it out.
Isn’t it pretty? But my eyes have the hardest time focusing first to the bowing area and then figuring out where my fingers need to go. Tracking the A string, the second from the right, is where one starts. My eyes cross and things start hurting quickly. So I give this baby short spurts.
This one, my Enya Ukulele, is my favorite baby. I can sing with the songs I’ve learned. I have a couple memorized. My fingers have developed callouses. You can’t see them. But the strings no longer hurt. And a bit of cellular memory is kicking in so I’m not peeking at strings or music pages as often.
Ah, but, wrap me in plastic and kill me Dexter! This theme song that I picked up from MusicNotes has been tough!!! It looks easy. But not for me. I don’t usually have to listen to the song to get it. Thank goodness MusicNotes has a track to listen to. Even so, I couldn’t get the way it was written. I have finally memorized the beginning.
But midway, there is another section that sends me to a ‘nice cup of tea.’ Okay, let me explain. No. I can’t. Here:
Again. Short spurts. Still very slow. AND I do ‘air playing’ nearly 24/7 I find myself working on it in my sleep.
Thankfully, Succession Theme is recognizable. It’s fun to play the whole piano! Lots of ledger lines or octave lines to reach out for.
Speaking of
It’s time!
For those who think I get everything done. The laundry sat in the dryer two days and sat near me yesterday and today. The bike is yelling that I didn’t do that yet. There’s only 24 hours in a day! I still have Duolingo to do.
Wow. With summer heat and humidity, not to mention ADHD with non compliant stresses, progress is slow. But my super power is running.
Even the smallest amount of progress will get the job done eventually. It is in the giving up that nothing happens. Except drama. Reliving trauma never brings positive results. Acknowledging the downside, not jumping in and feeling sorry for myself, helps me survive and thrive.
In this case:
Talking too much, distracting thoughts, feelings, actions, and resulting health issues. They all are there. It was worse when I was working in jobs that weren’t healthy for me.
I wish when I’m interrupting I could say I’m sorry. But I believe that sorry implies a will to change. Sadly, in my 74 years that change is detrimental to my health. Every time.
I was Hermione raising my hand with the answer. But being fair, I let others answer first. By the time the teacher called on me my mind had already gone a thousand places and I couldn’t even remember the question. Then someone else would get it right and it was exactly the answer I knew I knew. And I knew what I had to say was unimportant. That my gold star was unimportant.
Yet learning was the reward. Still is. And friends. And family. But ADHD threatens all of it. Unless I do little bits. Many, many little bits.
I’ll never be a concert pianist or win great awards from my efforts of anything. But I have to be happy with my little wins. And keep trying to be a human who does her best to be kind.
Anyway. My little win is my new slipper socks.
I move the stitches as I work the last ribbing row onto separate 9 inch circular needles. That makes the cast-off work so much easier.
Shorty slipper socks with arch hugging ribbing.
Yep. For me.
And because I love how that arch feels I’m trying it on the watermelon shorty socks.
Two rows into the ribbing.
The heat makes yarn too hot. My brain needs something to stimulate it. But often, I find I get sloppy and make a ton of mistakes.
My Duolingo is still going but Chinese is as hard as Hebrew and Navajo. I tend to lose a lot of hearts. But I find a successful language like Italian to play with until I build the hearts up.
My music is even harder to get to because of heat and disruptions. But. I will keep trying to get all my passions back into my daily schedule. I miss having a good routine that pushes me to try.
Across from my piano that didn’t get touched is my sunset beach. But that’s the south side of the house and it gets hot in there. Bring back nice temps!
This pair is nearly ready for a heel. Maybe an inch more of the arch ribbing.
My new recliner diamond painting is ready to set up. This guy is cool! I can hardly wait to get started.
My new project. Ponytail holders. The red band will probably not show once I crochet the lime green around it.
Info about the yarn.
I had made progress of about 4 rows but found an oops. Can you see the blue marker in the top of the sock on the right? Ugh. I felt watermelon would make me feel better these days. Oh, well.
No light shows progress on my sunset beach diamond painting.
With the back light on bright you can see my progress into the water. Me stepping in…
I’m finally getting my piano groove going again. I’m keeping sessions short and as successful as possible.
I finished all but the Dexter movie. Can’t seem to find it. But both series(es) done. I miss the music. Trying to find a good piano copy of the sheet music of the beginning theme and end theme.
My allergies kept me from the recorders. I don’t like playing them with a sore throat or sneezing.
I am finding progress on my Enya Ukulele. Even my B flat seems right every now and then.
Readjusting an older pair to fit a friend better. Lots of tinking to get to this stage. Two more rows to tink then I need to find a good yarn for the heels and cuffs.
I think these will be mine. Another pair of crazy socks. The next row starts the heels, so the end is in sight.
Shooting the Curl is three/fourths done. I have to turn this upside down next as reaching up hurts.
I’m halfway through the new Sudoku book.
Hey, the part that is the hardest and happiest: I’m learning Imagine by John Lennon. I’m not very good but here’s how I’m learning it.
My fingers have developed calluses but that is bad for recorders because now it’s hard to tell if the little holes are closed tightly so I get more squeaky noises than I did before picking up the Uke. Ah, well, I’m having fun.
That’s not all but all I have energy to report.
Oh, my hair is growing and I’m adding messy bun hairpieces to my short ponytail.
I don’t know if I’m behind or how I got there but I’m seeing others beyond R and I’m barely think of Q.
For some reason I feel like streaming. No plan or plot is showing up. I feel like the queen of lazy. No rhyme or reason.
Since I’m tired I’m in a quandary both mind and body wants to quit. Be quiet. And seeing no rescue in sight, I’ll go with the Monday que: what’s being made?
I’m calling this one, Shooting the Curl. Still working on this bottom section. Lots of black and dark drills make it tough. But tomorrow lighter colors promise an easier paint.
Nearly finished. Heel done. Just ankle and cuff left.
Decrease of heel but nearly finished.
Finishing arch heading towards the heel.
Watermelon yarn caked and ready to start a new pair.
A new challenge. How to repair a heel.
And
Another challenge:
Figure out how to make these fit better. Tinking for start.
A zombie needs assembly. Thanks, Yve.
And a Christmas gift in April (my favorite kind!) Thanks again, Yve!❤️ Aren’t they cute!
Courtesy of my daughter. Thanks! She was going for a walk with Maggie, her dog. They saw a Family of Four Foxes.
She only captured the one. Isn’t he/she cute?
Gratefully, I’m making strides on many levels. German is coming along. I’ve added more languages. I think 12 now. I doubt I will ever be conversant in most of them. But with two grandmothers who died from Alzheimer’s, I’m trying to keep my brain learning new things. LOTS OF NEW THINGS.
And I work both sides as much as I can. I have never been a left brained person so I do the Sudoku. I’ve nearly finished a whole book. I play math games.
Not quite this hard. Cross Math and Number Crush.
Music uses both sides, both hands. And that’s moving along, too.
Gradually the diamond paintings are coming along. I think these are mostly right-brained. The beach scene and the lighthouse cause my brain to relax and stay organized.
If you tap on the picture you can enlarge and see that I’m nearly finished.
This one is small. That is the only good thing. The glue is inconsistent, the symbols are hard to decipher. The drills are irregular. Still, both keep my hands busy.
One more thing I’m grateful for is
Gentle love and long adoring purring sessions between. Rosey and her favorite person. Grins and gratitude.
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
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