Mail Call!

The other day I had GREAT mail call!

Years ago, my friend Nancy's mom sent me what I thought was her entire Fiesta collection, knowing I had a small collection started from antique shops and shows.

The other day, a rather LARGE box was on my porch with these beautiful pieces.


Two platters and two serving bowls! WOW! I love it! (I use Fiesta pretty much as my everyday dishes during this time of year, so it was extra super!) More on china in a post later this weekend...

Then there was a fabulous purple box, long and tall! It was from Beth D., who is in my ATC group!

Included was an embarrassment of riches including this gorgeous ATC holder she made using a collaged wooden block with twisted wire "holders." Here's a close-up of the base (but it was collaged on all sides).


Here's a better overview.
See the big card? That was my belated birthday card! (I'd wait for this with JOY!)


In and of itself, this was lovely and generous, but Beth also included some other items -- this necklace she made...

(and up close)...

And this enchanting bird! I am in the process of taking a lesson from Beth L. and Karla (you'll need to dig down a post or two to see how they redid Beth's studio). They hung a large birdcage as sort of a "bulletin" board or inspiration board. The bird will be going on mine, as soon as it is hung up this weekend!

It's been a fun week or two, but also a stressful one, work-wise and health-wise, so these were extra special and lovely! Thank you both!

Write on Wednesday: A Writing State of Mind

Today’s Write on Wednesday talks about your “writing state of mind” (read Becca’s fabulous post to kick off the discussion) and asks:

How about you? What’s your writing state of mind these days? How do you access that “mysterious faculty” where insight and imagination are nurtured? How do your instincts about your writing ability help you? What’s your experience of being in “the writing zone”?

These days, my writing state of mind is about nil. None of the writing I have to do (for work) is floating my boat and as for the rest of it – well, limbo is about the best bet.

I’d rather be outdoors looking at beautiful things (like this tree in the grocery store parking lot; inspiration can lie anywhere!).

Or doing creative things like finishing these… these are the small watercolors I started that now need collage elements. And have I touched them since I returned from the Lake? No.

Or making food like this (Blueberry Crumble Pie) – which I will tonight.

And every night, I knit. (Winter’s coming on; so is show-season!)

These days I don’t seem to have much insight or imagination to write anything I don’t have to (the exception being The Marmelade Gypsy). I don’t seem to want to think that much.

In fact right now, all I want to do is hole up with a book or yarn, a box of Kleenex with lotion, my antibiotics, cough syrup and Ricola and not think at all!

Well, that’s not happening – so how DO I access what Becca calls “that mysterious faculty” where insight and imagination are nutured?

I wish I could tell you, but I just don’t know. I do it because I have to – and it just comes. Maybe not in a tidy, well-written way. But it comes – at least enough to edit!

And how do my instincts about my writing ability help?

Well, I edit! I’ve never written anything first-time out that changing words, sentence structure, rearranging paragraphs or whacking down to half hasn’t helped. It may not be art. But it’s better than before.

I think I tend to get in the writing zone when I’m passionate about a topic. I love writing about family and their experiences, especially the old ones. For me, there’s something fun about recalling family events or experiences on the page, and so when I start, I really get rolling.

When I go there, the clock doesn’t play a role. I simply stay put and the words come out.

My art zone is like that, too. And those are pretty great spaces to be…

Yarning!

I can't resist it! I love the way it looks, the way it feels and what you can do with it! Join me on a yarn visit to Threadbear Fiber Arts!

We loved this paper-yarn... it's sort of a "raffia" texture. Nancy is making a table runner from it. I will probably get some to use in projects!

Go grab a pair of needles and get to it! Winter's coming!

Old Friends, New Times!

My oldest friend Nancy came to visit from Colorado this weekend, and bless her, she put up with a sick Jeanie with an obnoxious cold!

We met when we were small and her family moved away when I was five and she was four.


Somehow, our mothers managed to keep us in touch before we learned to write and do it ourselves. We've been friends forever!

Nancy's visit started out by stopping at a nearby pub.


She, Rick and I enjoyed seeing Greg's chalkboard he'd done for the bar.

Saturday had to include a trip to our most amazing Threadbear Fiber Store.

Fortunately, Nancy bought more stuff than I did!

After all that shopping (we then hit two other yarn stores; that takes a lot of energy!), she still had the wherewithall to go on a bike ride with Rick!

Sunday started out with the monthly "First Sunday" gallery walk in Old Town.

Then while Rick rode, we went out to the Cider Mill, all decorated for fall!

It was hard to say goodbye and take Nancy to her shuttle bus.

But good friends forever don't really say goodbye, they say farewell!

Farewell, my friend! It was great!

Friends and Fact Checking

I'm looking forward to the visit of my dear friend Nancy today. We've known each other for more than 50 years!

The weekend will include a visits to area knitting stores, perhaps an art-walk (first Sunday) or trip to the Cider Mill, and Nancy and Rick may take a bike ride!

So, I'll be back online Monday.

Meanwhile, I urge you to visit, bookmark and periodically revisit this non-partisan, fact-checking website.

I heard a lot last week in the conventions I knew wasn't so; I'm sure both sides play this game. FactCheck takes on everyone. Fairly.

I have a strong political point of view -- I don't often bring it to the Gypsy because I know you all do too, and while we may or may not disagree, it doesn't really affect the things The Gypsy is about -- which is art, friends, writing, books, entertaining, cooking, life.

But when I hear things I know are incorrect, I feel compelled to remind everyone -- including me -- not to be "sheep" and follow, but to check things out.

When I update my links soon, this one will be on it!

Happy Weekend!

Write on Wednesday: Power of Place

In this week’s Write on Wednesday, Becca discusses the power of “place” in writing and asks:

How about you? How does place figure in your writing? Do you feel comfortable in the place you live, or do you feel at odds with your atmosphere? Do you convey that in your writing? What stories does your location have to tell?

I haven’t really thought much about place in writing, as most of what I write is not place-centered. I guess when I write on The Marmelade Gypsy, I try to convey a sense of what the place is like through both words and photos, but it’s not quite like a novel, when you’re conveying the place in a way that paints the picture along with it.

I “think” place a lot – in my unwritten stories I have great place, no plot. I can tell you exactly what the house is like, the yard, the lake, the way it smells, describe how the fabrics feel.

But I can’t get enough plot to go with the story and the characters I’ve so neatly laid out in my mind!

Becca asked if we felt at odds with our atmosphere or comfortable in the place we live. I love the place I live, except when it’s a little messy and out of control!

My home isn’t a place I want to write about, though. My unwritten stories are set at the lake, which many of you “visited” with me last week on the Gypsy. That area does indeed have stories to tell.

Interesting. Perhaps it intrigues me as a location because it is so far afield from my daily life. It’s beautiful, picturesque, a town with its own quirky character.

Or, perhaps because it’s so lovely and so easy to describe.

Or, quite likely, it’s because for all my life I heard stories about “the lake” and the people, I remember seeing it through the eyes of an older generation as well as seeing it change in my eyes with passing years.

Becca also offers a writing prompt, called “Write on This,” should you want to write your own piece. I haven’t done this one yet, but leave it here to share with you.

“The loss of a place isn’t really so different from the loss of a person. Both disappear without permission, leaving the self diminished, in need of testimony and evidence.” Bridge of Sighs, Richard Russo

Write about a place you’ve lost….

Goodbye, Lake

Vacation is at an end. Rick and I just wrapped up a tough game of Scrabble and I won, which I never do!

Everyday has been lovely. I've especially enjoyed being able to blog more freely and enjoy the wonderful comments. If I haven't answered off line, forgive me. I'll try to catch up!

Although it was the warmest of all the days today, you can tell fall is near -- the occasional brilliant red branch popped up now and then as I went to pick up Rick from his bike ride yesterday.

Of course I had to stop in at Cynthia's Yarn Shop in Mackinaw City, where I bought more than a few items, including two patterns and some wonderful yarn.

Today, more art -- finishing projects. Rick surprised me with a picnic in the woods -- that was fun!

And I started Bob Newhart's biography. I love his deadpan humor.


Of course Rick had to ride!


And Gyppy had to nap!

And then a beautiful sunset to see us off.

How I hate for it to be over!