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colors, textures and patterns - michele merges martens
Dec. 1st, 2008
08:34 pm - I'm back, sort of
Haven't written at all, been way too busy. Much upheaval at work, and at home. Got bronchitis, which aggravated my asthma and I am still coughing. Bleah.
This is right outside the building I work in, one night on my way home. I love the colors.
I made a bunch of stuff for the co op, and am now going to go back to the big knitted and felted and lace piece I've been working on. I got the storage room cleaned out and organized, even Keith's drum set is gone, donated to a high school student. All the yarns are sorted by color, all the undyed yarns are sorted by weight, all the hand dyed fabrics are together, as are the commercial fabrics. You can actually almost walk in the hallway again.
I'm looking foward to the holidays, I think, at lieast to the lights and the decorations. And Mark and Becky and Molly and Raegan will visit too! We'll miss AngelPuss and HollyBerry the cats who are in heaven, but we are babysitting a cat for a few weeks or months, a year old one, her name is Precious but we are calling her Vicious because she really lashes out and doesn't want to be touched. But she's curious and cute and likes cat treats. Bootsie and PussyWillow don't quite know what to make of her. She's about 1/4 the size of Bootsie but is already bossing him around. She watched him drink from the bathroom faucet and then tried to do it herself, but got really wet.
08:27 pm - Mid Atlantic Oireachtas
or Regional Irish Dance Championships. This is the eight hand reel group practicing. They didn't place, but danced their best, and they had new, eggplant colored velvet dresses, and Kyle and Andrew had vests of the same fabric. Kyle is in the middle of the pic. It was very very strange to not be there for solos Kyle is still having feet problems and I am amazed that he was able to dance at all. This may have been the last time, I felt very sad inside, but enjoyed seeing all the girls' dresses and the dancing. Andrew was 4th, out of 7 I think, so he did qualify for World Championships, luckily in Philadelphia in April, so he can go. And Kyle will get to go with the team, even tho he didn't do solos. He qualified twice in solos, and we got to go to Glasgow, so that's fine. I so much wish he'd do one more year, one more regional, but he's focusing on school and transitioning out. I'm not ready for him to be so grown up.
08:22 pm - Walking around Philadelphia
my feet still hurt. We visited this wonderful mosaic garden and building again, and the light shining through was fantastic. We ate lunch at Whole Foods, various things vegan for Kyle and various things non vegan for me, from their buffet. We stopped in at loop, the yarn store and sister fabric store. I got some sock yarn, and this fabulous golden fabric with hot pink squids on it.
Also stopped by Spirit of the Artist, aka SOTA, a shop. I love the things they have there, but in talking to the owner he said textiles don't sell. Well, they do in Ballston Spa, at least some of mine do! I felt kind of sad that I wouldn't fit in there. But it doesn't really matter.
We took a taxi back, since our feet hurt and we were almost late for practice.
08:18 pm - I see you
And this was one final mosaic... I love the expression.
08:17 pm - Hey You
and this was what greeted me Monday morning on my way into work. Busy Busy Busy, just like I will be this week.
Oct. 13th, 2008
01:28 pm - leaf spirit mask
had to make a mask for a local show, and this is the result. No pattern, just creating. It is kind of sad and kind of spooky and kind of weird.
10:52 am - the color quiz
#008080 |
Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life can be bright or dark, depending on the situation. You are flexible and see things objectively. |
This is me. Most of the time. Although I am sometimes aqua too.
Sep. 25th, 2008
10:45 pm - Remembering...
Remembering my dad, today it is 13 years since he died. It doesn't seem that long. I miss him, his musical voice, his faith in God, his cooking, his listening to me about stuff...
and the cat here is Hollyberry. She showed up on my mother's doorstep several weeks after my dad died, and Mom always felt that she was sent by Dad to give her something to do. Mom gave her to me at Christmas that year...
And now Hollyberry is having Kitty Hospice at home. She's got some kind of cancer, the vet says, but as long as she's drinking and having normal behavior she can stay at home. She has always been a very sweet cat, somewhat dumb and staying in the background away from the other, more agressive cats. She's got the loudest purr, and she'll come around for attention then and run away when she's had enough. She flops onto her back and waves her paws in the air...
I'm grieving still on some level for my dad, and now for my cat. I am treasuring these last few days with her, and enjoying holding her and watching her. I'd forgotten the sadness of waiting, my dad was in hospice care for a long while... and although it seems weird to compare a cat and Dad in my feelings, to me they are linked.
I know that we all have to die, but knowing at the top of my mind and knowing inside my heart are different. I am the one that will hold Hollyberry in her final moments, giving her peace as she goes out of this life and onto her next life... and I'll cry for her and for all of the ones who are sad...
Sep. 20th, 2008
05:42 pm - Another Chenango Valley trip last weekend and yarn and more yarn this weekend
We did our yearly Chenango Valley State Park camping trip. This year it was RAINY. But fun. I've posted some pics below... tried to show things I haven't shown other years. I would get up in the middle of the night to ahem "piddle" and look at myself in the mirror, eyes kind of droopy and hair standing on end, and raindrops on my face because I didn't want to carry an umbrella, and yes, it was fun. I need a walking stick to hold on to getting up from the tent floor but I can still do it. It was fun just to sit at the campsite too.
Work of course is busy. But, I had to do a day of travelling to fill in for one of the recruiters. In Massachusetts. On a Thursday. And Webs Yarn store is open till 8 Thurs pm! And Webs now has a bead store! I got done with the event at 5 pm, and headed on out for Webs. What fun! And tho it was expensive, I'm not going to go shopping any more, and I am going to start my etsy shop, so hopefully I'll make some of that money back. I'll be selling the same kinds of stuff as at the Strolling Village Artisans co op. I work there tomorrow too, and will have time to do some artist trading cards that I need to do for a swap.
I ordered some stuff from VistaPrint, online printing, like business cards and magnets and postcards - their prices are very reasonable and I've been satisfied with the things so far.
I'm such an artsy entrepreneur!
Today I am sorting my yarn by color combinations. You don't want to see the disaster my bedroom has become. But I want all my yarns all together in one place, so i know what I have. Which is way too much yarn. I am actually going to destash some on etsy next week. Seller name is michelemergesmartens. Just sayin'...
05:41 pm - Buy my art!
Some of the things I have for sale. The vases are not mine tho.
05:40 pm - Extra Buttons shop
a way cool antique shop that I love to poke around in. It's the kind that's a little disorganized and smells a litle musty, but I found some great crochet pieces to over dye, a metallic cable circular knitting needle, and some bakelite and bamboo and bone weaving shuttles, small ones, between 2 inches and 6 inches... and i always enjoy talking to the lady that owns it.
05:39 pm - check out this face
a very tired with a very dirty face Raegan. I never saw a kid run around inside a play pen before. She fell asleep after Becky washed her face.
05:37 pm - My brother is going to kill me for posting this
Mark being slightly driven crazy by the rain, in front of their little trailer that has a shower and a bathroom and a refrigerator and stove and sink and two popout areas for sleeping. I want one!
05:35 pm - my very own tent
on sale, it's a two person one but room enough for me and my stuff. I can sit up in it. stayed dry even in the heavy rain.
05:34 pm - Of course you have to have a campfire
even if it is raining. We did s'mores and Becky made this fantastic roasted on the grill bananas with peanut butter and chocolate. Yum.
05:33 pm - Under the Shelter
trying not to get wet, doing my knitting, of course! I don't go anywhere without something artsy or craftsy to keep me busy.
05:31 pm - lily lake
lilies growing, the reason for the name Lily lake. This is the undeveloped lake. The one that has the swimming and diving area is Chenango lake. My dad was a lifeguard there in the 50s and that's where he met my mom. She and her friends used to rent a cabin for vacation. Then when we were kids we got some of the same cabins for our vacations there. Kyle went there when he was little, and now Molly and Raegan do to. Call it continuity, I guess.
05:27 pm - pink?
these leaves really were pink. Never saw quite that shade before.
05:26 pm - left behind rain drops
or in the Merges venacular, tree pee!
05:25 pm - my heart stays there
this park holds so many many memories... it seemed so strange this year to me, that I was getting so old and so far away from them... but at least we made new ones! This is inside the pavilion at the Tween lakes Picnic area, above the fireplace. See the heart?
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