The Tricksters are at it

I got a rare moment at my sewing machine and Koki and Raven conspired against me.  They were into everything, grabbing my spools of thread to bat back and forth.  Anything was fair game as they came after more stuff they could seize with their teeth or paws.  Maybe I would do the same thing if I was a cat.  Who knows?  But they love to get into my stuff.

 Raven is one of the tricksters and of course he has a partner in crime.

Koki's always ready for an adventure and mischief

 

They make themselves part of any kind of project I get into. 

It’s funny to think that when Raven was little, Koki wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  Now they chase each other every day and get into mischief all the time.  I wouldn’t have it any other way though.  I like to have them near me, even if they are grabbing at thread and anything else they can get a hold of. 

 It started out with swiping one spool of thread to bat about the room

 

I took up some shorts today and these old eyes have trouble threading my machine with black, or any dark colored thread.  It’s disgusting to get so old that you can hardly do that anymore.  I finally grabbed the needle threader and had trouble using it too.  I decided I would sew anything I need to in that color so I wouldn’t have to tackle that again for a while.  That’s pathetic, isn’t it?

 It evolved into more.  They get bored easy and come after new "toys."  I had to hide the elastic, buttons  and pins.

 

After all my sewing machine work was done for the day, I sewed some buttons on that I haven’t gotten to yet.  We try to buy all of our white shirts for work at thrift stores because they get messed up so fast.  There’s no use in spending a lot of money for them.  Why we have to wear white tops is beyond me.  I had a blouse that was missing two buttons and because it was I got it for cheap, so I changed out all six buttons today and have a brand new blouse for work.  It’s a miracle it has no stains, not yet anyway.

Before I knew it, the time said 3:30 and I was bound to get the table cleared off today before hubby got home.  We changed out the gas cook top and had to move all the stuff out of that cabinet so the guy could cut the granite to have a bigger hole so the new cook top would fit.  We’ve had it in there but not hooked up for a couple of weeks.  It was no big deal.  I have my electric skillet and the oven and I’m not so hot on cooking anyway.  We eat a lot of salad around here, especially in the summer.

So that’s how I spent my day off this week.  Of course it was beautiful and sunny and about 80 – perfect weather in my eyes.  I had the windows and the skylights open to let in any passing breeze.  I wish it would stay like this all summer but it will be triple digits before I know it.

Take notice of the beauty around you

Photo borrowed from the web

I have to say that I had the roughest time at work the other day and although I only work part-time, I stand on my feet all day.  That’s enough but on top of that everything I did was a disaster, or so I thought, and I was so wishing the day would fly by and be over.

When I thought about it later, my demo reminded me of the episode of I Love Lucy when she worked in the chocolate factory and she couldn’t keep up as the chocolates came down the conveyor belt.  I don’t know if any of you saw that episode, but I’m sure she must have felt the same way I did, as I tried to keep up.  I love my job but boiling water, cooking spaghetti, and serving it from a stainless steel cart in a store full of people is very difficult.  Of course, next time I’ll be better prepared and more organized I hope. All the people I work with are great so, I’m sure it’s just my lack of experience in this type of environment.  Most days working are fantastic and lots of fun.

Anyway, this post really isn’t about work.  It’s about how even the most difficult day can end in such beauty.  We should always relish in that and take notice that we have eyes to see it.  Let me explain.  When all the work things were put away for the day and I stepped outside, the entire sky was a gorgeous shade of pink.  It was pink in every direction and was so amazing.  I breathed in the wonder of that moment wishing I had my camera to capture it.  That beauty instantly eased my tension and I was so glad to be there at that place to see that gorgeous sunset.

This also reminds me the days are getting longer and there will be many more sunsets ahead.  I’m so happy I’ve survived another winter, although it wasn’t near as bad as the winter two years ago.  But I hate any kind of cold weather.  It’s been seventy or a bit above lately and I could jump up and down with joy.

How about you?  Has the beauty of nature made a terrible day better?

Burning the Candle at Both Ends

One thing about my husband going out of state for a while is that I always do this.  I love keeping my own schedule, eating and sleeping when I WANT TO – not when I HAVE TO.  What a difference that makes.  Unbelievably, I usually get a lot accomplished too although many times I wish I had more time.  I don’t think I’ve crawled in bed before 3 AM the whole time he’s been gone.  If there’s one thing I hate, it’s almost finishing something and having to stop to go to bed.  That drives me crazy, so I’ll stay up the extra hour or half hour to get finished and then go to bed when it’s up to me.

Rotisserie chicken on a bed of spinach with tomatoes, green onions, carrots, celery, cranberries and toasted almonds - Yum!

I’ve been craving salads since I’m only making dinner for myself.  The salad I had the other night was so yummy and fit for a king.  I had to take a picture of it.  Usually on an ordinary day I find myself fixing two different meals (or I should say side dishes) because my husband isn’t as fond of veggies as I am.  In fact, he downright hates veggies and accuses me of making his salads too big.  In my book – he needs something green and nutritious.  How can people survive without that?

In addition, I can eat this salad at 9 PM, 10, or 11.  There’s no one here to tell me not to and to keep me on track of a “normal” person’s schedule.  And a salad, or any other meal, wouldn’t be as nice without my glass of chardonnay to top off the day after the blasted heat and slaving away on my projects.

 Chardonnay

I’m trying to make headway of organizing for the move and also taking advantage of the schedule I set out for myself daily.  Wouldn’t you do the same thing?  I really wish this situation would last ten weeks instead of ten days.  But I guess I’ll need to be saved from myself after ten days.  After all, how long can you survive on three hours of sleep a night?