LINING UP THE PROJECTS.....

I understand, I really do. Winter here will be long.........and wet.......and white........and did I mention long? Every time we meet someone new who finds out we are from "somewhere in the desert", the first question is "Are you ready for our winters?" Good grief....... We get it! I personally think winter is also a curious state of mind. I understand I might not be able to leave the house every day (and those of you who know me do know that has never really been an issue) . So, lets move on people; your weather that you are wearing like some kind of badge of honor will be respected by us 'desert people" and I think we can handle it. The first year we lived in our straw bale home with a plywood floor and open foundation was cold. Yes indeed it was. We knew this the morning we woke up to find that the cat's water dish on the floor had frozen over. So, I do believe we will be fine. (rant over)

Now, about those projects! Here is a photograph of my shopping trip this morning. This pile of "stuff" will eventually turn into a sweater made from a lamb's wool and polyester fiber called "Rose Heather". This will require some precision (like counting stitches) so will be an exercise in patience. I will share results, good or bad!

WORKING THROUGH THAT LIST...

Yup, I am a list maker. Can't help it. It is the ONLY way I can get everything done since I tend to "forget" those things I don't really want to do. So, the curtains are finished; well most of them. I am finishing up a quilt I started in New Mexico and put aside until I knew the size of the bed it would be going on. It is going to be just beautiful! So, we took out some time to do a little bit of creativity. Here are our walking sticks for the trips into Our Woods. Roy is collecting sticks, sanding them and turning them over to me for embellishment. Soon, we will have several for friends and family. How fun is that?

DOES ANYONE ELSE SEE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE? ?

You KNOW I do! I would love to hear your ideas on how to best make this wonderful "canvas" not so "white". Speak up my friends!

AND THE THIRD FLOOR....

The top floor of our home has two bedrooms and a sitting area between them, as well as a large bathroom. I have to tell you, I am getting a LOT of exercise!

This is the master bedroom. This desk and chair belonged to my Grandmother; it was her writing desk.

This is the guest room.So now you have seen the lower level (my studio), the main level (kitchen, dining area and living space), and the upper level. We love it a lot!

FEATHERING THE NEST.....

One reason you are not seeing many creative posts is that we have been busy putting our living space in order. This has included moving the right furniture onto the right floor of this 3-story home. Also, I have been making curtains! So, here are photos of our main living space; the dining area which has the long harvest table Roy made while we lived in New Mexico, and the living room which has the wood stove. It really feels like home now!

THE LAND OF FERNS.....

Recently we were discussing the need to have more ferns in the planting areas around the house. This is one of the areas before we planted ferns. Don't you just love that moss growing across and around the bricks?We mentioned to family members that we were going to go buy some ferns. Sweet and gentle people that they are, they pointed out that we might just want to transplant some of the Hundreds Of Ferns we have in our forest! Terrific idea! They have a shallow root base and took the move easily. I plan to move more of them for sure! Here you can see how much nicer it looks with the new ferns.

Oh, we have no idea who might be buried in our front planter but I'm not too concerned , are you? Actually, my plan is to bring those markers inside this winter and mosaic them! In the meantime, they do cause one to pause and reflect, huh.

TECHNICAL DRAMA...

For the past few "forevers" I have been unable to blog anything for you, my dear readers. The new camera would not play nice with the new laptop and after Roy spent 3 HOURS on the phone with Olympus it was determined that I had ONE corrupt image in my very large database of over 400 images. The problem has been solved and I am back on track. Whew!

I have so much to share with you I hardly know where to start. So, I will start with out street sign, or "signs". I guess you really can't have too many street signs, right? Yup, we live on Gravel Run Road. (both of them I guess)

....IF YOU GO DOWN IN THE WOODS TODAY.....

What a perfectly wonderful Sunday morning! We took our inaugural walk into our very own Pennsylvania woods! I can't begin to tell you how special this place is. The smells, the dampness, the softness under foot, the cracking of twigs and the sound of the running stream presented real sensory overload. And yet, it was unbelievably quiet. I took the camera and as we walked I snapped image after image, enthralled over the smallest detail and the most unique combination of subtle colors. Here are some photographs for your enjoyment. I want to do this over and over! Imagine the beauty when the leaves have turned! You will see them here for sure.A canopy above us.And, as it turns out, we have a picnic table! Huh. Who knew?

WELCOME TO MY NEW STUDIO !

Oh yes, today I got a new digital camera. It's blue and takes great photos. And, that's really all I know about it right now. So, I went all over the house taking photos like a mad woman! I will start by showing you ones of my new studio. At the far wall is my sewing table and in front of that is an 8 foot work surface. In the right side of the photograph you can see the door to a large storage area.This is the door out to that lovely brick patio area. The studio is U-shaped and this is the lounge area. This is my new RED sleeper love seat in the event we have more guests than rooms. On either side of it are necessary but ugly file drawers. I plan to make fabric slipcovers for them. It is quite cozy! Suddenly today, I felt at home in it. I guess it just took awhile. More photographs will be coming. Stay tuned!

"TECHNO-FOREST"....

Even though "a clear view of the southern sky" was really iffy, we do have television and Internet. These dumb looking things are at least on the back side of the house and not visible. So, why do WE have to figure out how to get rid of an old dish?Note to my readers: I will need to buy a new camera before I can post any interior photographs. It should happen soon; be patient, ok?

TOO MUCH STUFF, REALLY......

So, the past few days I have been unpacking my studio and trying to find places for all my art supplies. Here you can see SOME of the now empty boxes I pitched out the door. I am envisioning how many ways I can use this wonderful brick patio area. I could put up clotheslines between the posts to hang fabric that I have dyed. Or, I could put out handmade paper to dry. Or, I could sit and read and drink tea (grin). The possibilities are endless. My studio area is the entire lower level of our three-level home. And, there is tons of storage. What is the problem? I have no idea, but the entire process is extremely difficult! Trying to make sense of all that I brought with me and trying to position everything in a logical way so that I can find whatever it is I might be looking for. I am sure that as I begin to create, the things I need will be there and I will become comfortable with where they are. Right now it feels like someone else has this space. Ah, but soon it will be mine!

A PROMISE KEPT....

Over a year ago we started talking about moving; leaving the desert of New Mexico and replanting ourselves in the green hills of Pennsylvania. This area is my home, having grown up here and some of my family is still here. The move was easy for me. Roy was more than willing and we became more and more excited as the time came to drive East. When we made the decision, I promised Roy he could have something with wheels; a garden tractor, or a lawn tractor, or any of several other "toys", whichever would be appropriate to wherever we ended up. We ended up in a place that required a lawn tractor! He also bought a handy dandy big ole 17 cubic foot garden cart that attaches to the back and can haul all manner of stuff. He loves it! Here is the inaugural trip down our gravel driveway to the road. How cute is this???!!! This is a happy happy man....which also makes me very happy! Of course there is a reality check needed here; the next purchase is the snow blade attachment.

OH THOSE TURKEYS!

A couple of days after we moved in, I looked out the french doors on the upper deck and saw NINE wild turkeys in our front yard. This cleared area is what we lovingly refer to as our front yard. They were too far away to get a clear photograph for you. They were just ambling along, pecking at the ground and then slowly they headed off into the woods. Now, I shell dried corn and scatter the kernels for them. They are such fun to watch! The day after our first turkey sighting, I looked out to see a very large doe and two fawns; all spotted and Bambi-like. They were eating the vegetation at the far end of our "front yard". Hopefully I will have my camera ready the next time they come through. The doe kept raising her head and looking in the direction of the house, but never seemed afraid and stayed there with her twins for several minutes. They also ambled off into the forest. We need to get signs to put up along our property edges as hunting season gets really nutty around here. How long will it take us to post 6.5 acres? Sheeesh......

A MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERY....

Moving requires finding all sorts of things; like a new medical doctor, new eye doctor, new dentist, new auto repair shop, new grocery store, and on and on. We all know, however, that THE MOST important thing to find is the right person to cut my hair. And, I found her right out of the gate! Actually, I saw a lady on the street who had a fabulous haircut so I stopped her and asked "who cuts your hair"? She gave me the name and telephone number and I immediately called. It had been about 10 weeks and shaggy can't begin to describe the look I had. Oh my! Amanda gave me the best haircut I have had in probably 15 years. Here is a photo of her place. It is called "Park Avenue Styles" and is located in a wonderful old converted home with small rooms and leaded windows. Lets hope the search for other important people and places goes as well!

OH HAPPY DAY, WE HAVE INTERNET!

Thank you all for being so patient during this monumental move across the country! Finally, with a little help from "Bob in Mumbai" we have HughesNet up and running. Over the next few days/weeks I will be bringing you all up to speed on our new home and all we have discovered here. And, of course, lots of photographs. I will tell you that already the leaves on the maple trees are beginning to change colors. With the view from our upper deck, it will be a show stopper for sure. I will share the beauty with you all! Stay tuned!