Even if the old year wasn't dreadful, I always look forward to the new year. I don't get too superstitiously crazy on New Year's Eve, but I do make sure the house is at least tidy (laundry put away, trash taken out, no dirty dishes in the sink...), all the bills are paid as best we can and I have black eyed peas and cabbage ready to cook the next day.
The next morning I make sure I get up early, eat a healthy breakfast, go out to the barn to check on everybody, do my chores and proceed to do lots of other things throughout the day that I think are important and enjoy and want to do for the rest of the year. Much like I do almost every day :-).
I interrupt this blog post to tell you that the stunning full moon has just crested the front field and I am watching it from the office window. I love watching the moon rise. I think it's interesting how last night it rose more towards Stella's house and just as I was finishing evening chores. Tonight it's closer to the road and it waited until I was settled in the house. If I hadn't been sitting right here, I'd have missed it!
I understand the general principle of the planets and moons rotating, but I'd like to better understand the route or schedule. Or specifically, the route of our planet and moon as it appears here in my backyard. Maybe I'll put that on my list for this month. I have to think there is probably an online animation that would show me that. Or maybe there is some place like a planetarium to visit in one of the bigger cities around us.
So, my list for this month... This is my new year's "plan". While 2017 as a year was actually pretty good to me, the ending was incredibly awful. An entire chapter, probably the biggest one, of my life ended. Nothing to look forward to. No warm back to at least go sit on to welcome the new year. I still cannot fully grasp this.
In an effort to cheer myself up I started thinking of little fun things I'd been wanting to do, but putting off, for whatever stupid reason, assuming I had all the time in the world. Nothing grand or life changing, but lots of little things I could put on a list, cross off, add to. Or maybe not one big list, but a new small list each month.
I would like to finally make my Maggie Rabbit, knit a handspun sweater for my beloved first teddy bear, knit a stuffed animal, learn to count sheep in the "old way", try to take some of those beautifully arranged Instagram shots I keep seeing, try backstrap weaving, learn about the moon in my backyard!
Maybe I'll make a cartoon graphic for the side bar to remind me or keep "score". Cartoons are fun. I'd like to create more cartoons. More sketching and painting in general would be fun. Maybe work on a short story or a farm story. Or a Lamb Camp photo book. The possibilities are endless and it can be new year's day every day.
By the way, the yarn above, in my first attempt at one of those artsy IG photos, is a Voe hat kit from Brooklyn Tweed that I got for Christmas. I'll hopefully share more about it tomorrow because THE YARN ALONG IS BACK :-D.
14 comments:
Making a list makes sense to me, I am working on mine for this year. Sending good thoughts your way! :)
Wishing you a wonderful year!
That is the part of the new year I love the most, is making lists. As a much older, maybe not wiser, self...I learned to make small lists of things I can accomplish - however, planning 1 or 2 big things are exciting too. All your ideas sound interesting, I wish you best of luck in doing them...you have 360 some days...lol
So, are you going to make the felt for your Maggie Rabbit out of your sheeps' wool?
Here's to a better 2018 than 2017 was!
No. I have the (very neglected) kit. All I have to do is cut it out and figure out how to sew it together. Should have been done like THREE YEARS AGO. Sigh...
Love that yarn you have posted and looking forward to what you plan on doing with it.
Cartoons and sketching----I have always loved your artwork. I assume you studied art at some point in your life?? I am trying to learn how to draw/sketch as I am strictly a stick person artist at best. This is a goal of mine to add more creativity to my life. Do you recommend any art books for cartooning/sketching? Basically, all I do now is copy other peoples work to get ideas and a feel for drawing. I have no idea how to go about this desire to draw other than to just do it!
That is a beautiful photo. I wish you the best in the New Year.
I love your art work. And your photos. And all the creative 'stuff' you do. Healing after losing our fur/wool friends is so important...I am wishing you the best of 2018...you are a special friend to all of us!
Comfort, consolation, and joy to you for th new year. I think your list is a good one.
Your interest in how the solar system works prompts me to suggest a book you might enjoy listening to. "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker (read by Emily Rankin) got on my audiobook list via a reader's comment on my library system's web site. The story is told by an adolescent girl and portrays her community's - and to some extent, the broader society's - response to an unexplained slowing of the earth's rotation. Although I was a bit skeptical that this story would engage me very deeply, it turned out to be one of those books that made me want to get in the car and go somewhere so I could listen to more of it (and more, and more ...).
My usual genre is suspense but I have played several of the books you have recommended here and enjoyed them, and hope this turns out to be the return of a favor.
Wishing you, and your family and friends and critters, and all the Punkin's Patch followers a peaceful and satisfying 2018.
I am a hack "artist" at best. I did take a water color class once but I never got the hang of it. I'm luckily mostly just drawing sheep - cloud, stick legs, big ears ;-). I have no books to recommend, but I can recommend Junelle Jacobsen's online classes. Very laid back and positive and fun. http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/ She's a sheep friend and gifted one to me a couple years ago because she used one of my pictures or something, but I don't have the bandwidth to really do much video watching. I save it all for the Iditarod!
I will definitely check out that book! Thanks :-D
Happy New Year!
Would you put Skoog Farm on your list for 2018?
You have so many things on your list that you need the list to remember them all!
It was a sad ending of the year for you, so I hope you have lots of lovely things happen for you this year.
I love this time of year too. I'm always optimistic about the projects I *will* get done this year. Plan your work and work your plan. Or, plan your fun and then don't put it off! Your list sounds amazing. I'm sure you'll add a ton of things to it. If you just did one fun thing/creative thing a day.... you'd have blog posts for a year! :-)
Post a Comment