Jan 5, 2013

Crazy Bird Woman

Dusty Bluebottoms
 
Suffering seagull feathers, it's another New Year. 'Tis the time to think about TIME specifically, this new calendar year and what might be done (I mean to say, "accomplished") over the span of these 12 months, before yet another New Year declares itself.

It is tricky business setting goals when my main focus is to be more present in the moment at hand and enjoy what is going on now.  And, I've been having modest success with this. Every so often I actually wake up and remember to pull my thoughts out of some wacky what-if scenario involving what I'll do if a dog attacks me next Tuesday while I'm out for a jog, if I go for a jog, and realize the present moment is Saturday morning, I'm peeling carrots and I just peeled my finger.

Last Tuesday I was out jogging while thinking about what if I was able to always remain in the present moment when I found myself running out in front of a car. The present moment tends to elude me.

But, the New Year is a good time to stop and intentionally look backward and then forward and set some nice goals, so long as one is only setting goals and not crossing roads or peeling things at the same time.

Looking backward - 2012
  •  I have successfully initiated about 50 more unfinished fiber projects and successfully added them to the work-in-progress pile. Why is starting a new project so much more fun than finishing an old one? Can it be that starting a new project is simply a method of procrastinating the completion of its predecessor? No.  Forget I asked that. Where was I?
  • Oh yes. I had my appendix removed. This was an unplanned project but, certainly I would be dead if it had not been accomplished by somebody else (I did not perform the surgery - and thank goodness the surgeon is one for finishing those projects that he starts). This adventure may have resulted in some hearing loss in my right ear because...
  •  While recovering from surgery I convinced my husband I needed a lovebird and he got me one. Her picture is at top of this post. She's very agile, terribly cute, eats spinach, popcorn and sunflower seeds out of my hand and has the most piercing, shrill tweet you ever experienced. I do believe she is quieting down some though, now that my eardrums no longer function at full capacity. I never thought I'd hear myself say that (ha, ha).
  • My jokes have gotten stupider...which is saying something.
Looking forward - 2013
  • Learn and experiment with new fiber techniques. I'm afraid this may involve creating a new work-in-progress pile but, I think I have what it takes to accomplish that. Starting a new pile is mostly a matter of ignoring Claxton when he says things like, "We're running out of real estate." or hints at wishing he had a place to set down his coffee cup. Thankfully, who can hear him over all the bird squalor!
  • Teach a class and take a class. I'll be leading a couple of fun little by-member-for-member classes for the Duluth Fiber Handcrafters Guild in February related to fiber preparation and novelty spinning. AND, I hope very much to participate in this week long adventure in September:The Slow Felt Movement, Resist Dyed Felt Books and Brooches. If this adventure pans out I might need to set a goal of creating 3 or 4 new work-in-progress piles!
  • Lastly, try to downplay this bird situation before I acquire an ugly nickname. Now that we have Quercus (parakeet) and noisy old Dusty (lovebird named for her ability to stir it up) and, ever since I collected and successfully dyed many a seagull feather... 
 


Seagull Feathers Permanently Dyed 
(Simmered in Kool Aid and vinegar)
 
 
...Anyway, it occurs to me that these sorts of escapades can result in an unwanted nickname. I don't want to be the "crazy bird lady". But, much like the present moment, a more desireable nickname such as the "smart, pretty girl" continues to elude me.


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