July in my Lansdale garden

Day Lily with coneflowers in the garden of Nutmeg Designs

Back yard sunflower in the garden of Nutmeg Designs

The Honda Fit in the garden of Nutmeg Designs

Anise Hyssop in the garden of Nutmeg Designs

See five more July images on our nutmeg blog

 

D is for Dreaming Doodlin Dude ~ The A to Z of One Word Messages

My Fit is orange and overflowing with jazz

Maybe it is time for a Dream mosaic.  Sounds much more my style than a Goal mosaic.  So what is my dream.  Well that would be the day I am retired from teaching and can focus on transforming my doodles to glass art. 

For now, I am glad that my classroom tends to be joyful and is far from a nightmare.

Here is a doodle from the dreaming dude.  I created this for a mandala drawing contest at my school ~

Doodle in the round by Wayne Stratz

The Fit is Doodlin

Mosaic Woman (see hers at the bottom of the post) came home several weeks ago speaking of a car she had seen.  She said, "I doubt very much you would have liked the bumper stickers, but the plate was Doodling."

After a moment or two of being covetous I thought of a plate with a much better fit for the Fit.  Pianist Horace Silver wrote a tune which has become a standard.  He first recorded Doodlin' in 1955 with the Jazz Messengers.

Here it is:




Later Jon Hendricks would add some lyrics which man a jazz singer has sung,  "I feel so lost without my doodlin"

here is one considered my some to be the best, and who is to argue with what Sarah Vaughan did ~

wordless Wednesday: a few of my favorite things

The Fit Is Not Go

Over the weekend, we put away a few things, well many things. When it was over the chair of contemplation was once again available for my use. So I sat down. At my feet was a red basket. It contains my Bible, journal, and several books. I was looking for one when I found another, a book I had forgotten about.

It is a book of contemplations based on the church year. Joyce Rupp, the author starts with Advent, which starts with thoughts on waiting.

As Mosaic Woman and I wait for her test results, I prayed that my wandering brain could try to remember how hard that is for her.

Last night Joyce Rupp ends the second contemplation with these words...

"you are in my life. I will slow down so I can find you there."

She is speaking of God, but I thought of how it does not have to only apply to heavenly beings.

This morning before work I thought... this is the message I want the world to hear today. so I threw the world those words at Facebook and Twitter. Since then I have gotten a record number of responses at Facebook, but none about those words.

I want to know what Christmas tune was playing as I stopped at the red light. I can't remember. The light did turn green, witnesses agree with me and the other driver admits he didn't see the light... blinded by the rising sun. I remember a horn blaring. I think I remember the jolt and car spinning. A friend commuting to the same school as myself, stopped and took care of me. The first person to whom I spoke, a stranger who said he saw it, told me that he couldn't stick around. I understand.

"you are in my life. I will slow down so I can find you there."

I am getting to know an insurance agent. Maybe that is what this phrase is all about. Being kind to her as she struggled through all the claims that emerged on her desk on the Monday following a weekend snowstorm. She speaks with kindness to me. The process is far behind the pace I want it to be going. But if I slow down...

as for me... I am worried about being sore tomorrow, but as of now I feel fine. However, the Fit is clearly not Go, as the commercials love to say...

after the show

exhausted, but back at work I was gardening with the students. People ask how the show went... if they have the time they will hear this...

First off there were more friendly faces on Monday than Sunday (who would have guessed), and now it was faces I had seen before. The woman who taught the Lenten retreat which inspired a few of my designs came with her husband, a minister with Mondays off. On their heels were my parents. Then there was my friend with pancreatic cancer along with his wife. And finally a friend from church who drove twice to see us, on Saturday before the show began and then on Monday after reading my last post.

There was a woman whose boxes were in my way when I was groggy and feeling rushed early Sunday morning, but who I chatted with off and on through out the show and grew to like more and more. Thank God for time to dash first impressions.

There was the feeling that our display was much improved, and with ideas to make it better.

There was the feeling that we both had, that even though the sales did not meet our hopes, we were glad we went on the adventure.

Then there was the guy who when I asked if he needed a hand, said "feel free to applaud."

I may have given a wise response back to the man. Both of our spouses may have sighed.

Thus I met Barbara and Louis Booth, who came from Long Island, so had the extra expense of hotel rooms. Lou makes jewelry and though he does 50-70 shows a year, had never ventured into Pennsylvania before. He was filled with jokes, advice, stories, and angst about schools and teachers. That story made me sad for how some teachers treat their students and a desire that I continue to strive to treat my students as humans who deserve compassion and respect. I may have lost some points when I told him I was a teacher, but I gained many when I told him that I made bread with my students. He was a great neighbor to have for two days.

here is our new Honda Fit set to go home, to see some craft fair photos, click here

crafting as adventure

On August 29, I got a comment on my blog letting me know that I was not the only person in the world that carried their own mug to the Jesuit Retreat Center in Wernersville, PA.
Eight months later, that blogger showed up to meet me and to buy a mosaic she had eyed here on my blog. She was the first and only friend who showed up today at the Har Zion Craft Show. Thanks, it was great meeting you. Mosaic Woman in glad one of her favorites is in your house.

To quote the Beatles... I am so tired....

Started preparing for Har Zion immediately after work on Friday stopped Saturday night at 11:30 when I was truly grateful that the Honda Fit I ordered in December showed up in Lansdale this week. We sank into bed last night feeling as if we had been packing for a move. Up at 4:40 this morning, 3.5 hours to set up the booth, 8 hours of hope to sell, hope to see friends, hope to eat Indian food on the way home, hope to pray tonight, hope that I always get good folk as neighbors at craft shows, hope to get some sleep...