And Bob's your uncle, you've moved again!

Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

I should do an instructional video on how to a) make your resume look as schizophrenic as possible; b) fit most of your highly-prized possessions inside a sixteen-year-old Corolla; and c) manage to "organize" your life so that picking up shop and moving every six to nine months or so becomes the norm.

Cuz that's what I've done and it's what I'm about to do, all of the above, a to c.

One of my favorite artist bloggers has mentioned that in her lifetime, she has lived in over 50 different homes.  Good gravy, I'm nowhere near this number (nor am I striving for it either!).  I can see how that could be adventurous and interesting and exciting to decorate a new space, to learn a new neighborhood or city or country.  But how does one stay motivated for the packing part?!  That, I would love to know so I could embrace it and celebrate it.....not dread it.  Anyway.

Baby bison in Yellowstone.  Looking forward to seeing these little ones running & bucking around.

So, I'm shuffling off to where the bison roam free and the wildflowers glitter like gems and the smell of sulfur is ever-present.  Where the mountains are huge and three million other souls will pass through to catch their glimpse of Wonderland, i.e. Yellowstone National Park.  It's been almost seven years since I called the park home.  This will be my tenth summer working and living there, and I am looking forward to going back.  I wish I could put my hand on a boot on a hill and be transported a la Harry Potter style to the great states of Wyoming/Montana/Idaho, but alas this girl will be driving the 2,000+ miles to get there.  

I'll write and post photos as I can.  Not sure how reliable or fast the interwebs will be there, but I'll do my best.  

Now, does anyone want to come help me pack?  Anyone?

Oh, P.S. It's National Park Week.  Free entrance into National Parks & Monuments.  Go!  Go!  Go!  

Ah......vacation

I've had the last week away from work, and it's been lovely.  I've read a bunch, watched numerous movies, taken walks, napped almost every day, and cooked some yummy meals.  Penny got lots of cuddles too.  

I am that cat owner.  I can't help it - she's just so darn cute!

The weather, frankly, was crap for most of the week, but we awoke this morning to warmer temps and sunny skies.  Quilts on the clothesline and windows open type weather.

Lots of vocal red winged blackbirds and bluejays hanging out in the back yard along with loads of northern spring peeper frogs chirping like nobody's business in the damp, marshy weeds beyond.  (Check out the video below I found on YouTube.)

Clearly spring is here, and I am so grateful.  It was a cold winter in our neck of the woods, and folks are quite happy to leave it behind.  I'm awaiting the daffodils and crocuses fully bursting open to share their cheerful colors.  The Hudson Valley is known for its apples, and I'm hoping to see the orchards in bloom before long as well.  I do love this time of year.

“When in doubt, choose change.” – Lily Leung

Reminiscing sans color

Bits & Pieces

This week I've been drawn to purple in its many hues.  I made a pair of birthday earrings for my sister using purple and green beads on Monday.  

Czech glass, crystal bicones, glass pearls, faceted magnesite, brass & copper wire, Vintaj ear wires

While rambling around the back roads and byways of upstate New York yesterday, I found a bowl and tea cup with saucer (made in Austria) with lovely lilac accents.  Gotta love a well-stocked & reasonably priced antique shop! 

It's a bit breezy and cool outside today, although it is still warm enough to melt more snow.  We got up early to grocery shop in an effort to beat the crowds, and on the way home we saw one of my favorite avian locals - a pileated woodpecker.  It was beautiful with that shocking red-crested head standing out against all of the brown and white that is so abundant this time of year.  Last week we spotted a small raft of common mergansers in a marshy area that is currently full of water. We've been enjoying more of our feathered friends in the back yard as well now that the grass is again visible.  Watching and listening to the cardinals, blue jays, chic-a-dee-dee-dees and red-winged black birds just makes me happy.  Of course, Penny delights in their visits too.  Here's a quick YouTube video I found of the species of woodpecker we saw this morning.  Enjoy!

spring benvenuto

It's a cold, foggy day here in the Hudson Valley.  Yet it feels as though warmer weather is soon on the way.  The rain is melting more and more of the snow.  It smells like wet, muddy earth outside.  Willkommen Frühling.

fondness, affection, besottedness, adoration, love.....

In listing these words, I'm reminded of a scene in the movie Roxanne where Charlie is pretending to be Chris.  The scene where he's wooing Roxanne from the bushes and trees below her balcony, saying what Chris is incapable of uttering, expressing what Charlie himself feels for her. 

This is one of my all time favorite movies.  I watch it at least once a year, and it still makes me laugh.  The words used as the title to this post are in reference to how I think about beads.  I know what you might be thinking - where's the correlation between a romantic comedy and beads?  It's more that the words depict what I undergo when I'm sifting through, shopping for or using beads.  In fact, I realize that making jewelry is secondary to my love for the beads themselves.  It's not necessarily the finished piece for me.  It's the components!  The finding and searching, the matching up of colors and shapes and styles to come up with a design.  (This might explain why I have two plastic bins full of pieces that are either awaiting a redesign, completion or a beginning after being designed.)  The connection to the movie is that it popped into my head when I began typing fondness.  This is just how my brain works.  There happens to be a lot of useless information floating around up there about movies, actors, British crime dramas and PBS programs.  Just in case you were wondering.  

soooo much Czech glass!

Last week I changed around my creative space.  Made it more cozy and open with much better flow.   I have a garden trellis from which I hang glass and stone strands by color.  I separated them and now have a big pile of Czech glass on my desk.  Which made me look at my most recent purchases.  Which led to picture-taking.  Which led to a few hours of bead admiration and new storage ideas.  I thought I'd share some of the photos, mostly of beads - go figure!

goodies by Golem Studios - from Beadaholique

stacks of buttons waiting to become part of a design

more from Golem Studios - how very spring

gorgeous large pendant from Golem Studios

saturated peach, pumpkin and chartreuse Czech glass from Fusion Beads - makes me think of Easter