Stasia's Place Of Grace

Friday, September 06, 2002

 

Grateful For...

Today I am grateful for these things:

Lady's Cria from Opportunity Llamas

This is the Labor Day llama cria of GLL Crazy Lady and Hot Shot Hunter, owned by my friend Nancy Frank of Opportunity Llamas. Aren't his socks just SO cute? He doesn't have a name yet... mail your suggestions here!

---

Today I got a birthday card from the widower of my first and favorite governess, Mrs. Klein. She was so funny - she was already old when she came to care for us, but had the twinkliest eyes and so much energy (we were rather wild girls, believe me, and she handled everything we threw at her!) She had gray hair cut into this funny 1920s kind of bob... she was very no-nonsense, yet fun, and she taught me to make orange peel cookies. She always wore dresses and those full-body, 1940s-type aprons, and had a funny dog named "Schnooker." Her husband was just as nice - quieter, but very kind and funny.

Anyway, her husband, "George" (his real name is Robert but for some mysterious reason our family has always called him George!) must be in his nineties... and yet he remembered it was my birthday! Now THAT makes up for this stupid party with the people who don't give a darn, doesn't it? It made my day to get this card! And brought back some memories, too. Mrs. Klein, wherever you are, thank you! (I will write to "George" and say thank you, too!)

---

Today I am thankful for things that save us time. Specifically, the little scrub brush for doing dishes, into which one puts dish liquid. Thank you for suggesting it, Enjay! It saves me so much time to just grab it and do the single plate and glass I use for breakfast or lunch. Saves energy by saving use of the dishwasher, too. And saves soap - hardly any comes out, and a little is all you need. I got it at Target (but I can't find it at their website).

I am also grateful for my washing machine and my vacuum cleaner. I can't imagine what I would do if I had to do laundry and carpets like a Victorian woman - I wouldn't have the physical strength!

I'm grateful for all of these conveniences because they give me more time for knitting and spinning! Sometimes we use things and don't even notice how much they make our lives easier. I'm trying to notice these convenciences more.

Now, if they would just come up with some kind of waterproof bathroom that you could soak with an overhead sprayer, my life would be complete...

---

I'm grateful that I am beginning to realize that I choose to bring stressors into my life.

Herman is a good stressor, but he still makes me worry, though it's an excited kind of worrying. Family is not such a good stressor, but it is my own fault that this pizza party got set up. I even create my own fiberarts stress by imposing silly rules upon myself ("only one project at a time"). Even doing this Blog is a stressor - it sometimes takes me as much time as I used to spend at Spindlers... and sometimes it is really hard to come up with things to be thankful for! (But important!)

Stress isn't always negative, and it is essential to life (doctors say you actually would just fall apart if there was no stress in your life and it was just peaceful all the time). Yet stress is something that needs to be noticed and managed on a daily basis.

I am becoming more aware that I choose to admit or not admit stressors into my life, and I can also choose how to handle them - in a good way (with meditation or biking) or in a less good way (freaking out and having to take a sedative).

I am grateful to know that, for the most part, these choices are mine.

---

Today I...

• Met Jeff for lunch at a bagel place. (I have a to-go morning bun in a bag on my kitchen table now, waiting for me. It is nice to think about it being there! I will have to take a tea break with it in a little while!) Jeff and I like to try to have lunch together once a week. It is a good time to catch up, without evening tiredness or active doggies interfering in our communication.

• Sorted through tons of paperwork to find receipts for my recorders and Native American flutes to add them to our instrument insurance plan. It was a pain in the patootie, but is one more thing to cross off the list in my organizer, and that feels GOOD! I have five hanging file folders of papers that I've put off sorting. I am still trying to psych myself up for that project...

• Finished drying the last of the Cosmos-dyed wool outside. Cleaned up all the dyeing stuff in the kitchen so Jeff will have room to be Chef Jeff this weekend.

• Last night we discovered little, icky bugs in our dry goods cabinet, so we got out the vacuum cleaner and sucked them all up (and threw out the bag), threw out all the stupid "gourmet" bean soup mixes and pastas we're never going to eat, and treated the cabinets with cinnamon and peppermint essential oils. Today I got a ton of Ziploc bags and Tupperware containers, and some new pasta. We are organized, we are clean, we have new food, and we are bug-free. On top of that, the whole house smells like Christmas.

• Forgot maple flavoring at the store, but am planning a maple birthday cake. Will let you know if it works (I'm not the best cook!)

• Di tells me I need to bike to be prepared for the pizza party, so I think I'll do that this evening.

Now, it is time to get some sleeve knitting in before Jeff gets home! Hope you are having a great day and finding something to be thankful for!

Stasia Permalink | Archives | |

		Animal	All Bird Cat Dog Horse Pig Rabbit Reptile Small&Furry	Breed		Zip Code