Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Outside the leaves were falling as they died
A wind had blown away the sun...
Outside the leaves were falling and they cried
Too soon! Too soon!

I'm Giving Thanks a Little Early

It's the time of year again: gray skies, short days, horrid weather. Typically I get depressed about now, and it's been coming on pretty strong in the past week. However, I have had some great times this fall which arguably is helping me ease into the "blah-est" months with less misery than usual. I carved pumpkins with my two favorite little boys, hiked in the mountains with a girlfriend while the leaves turned gold, painted in my studio alongside a community of other dedicated artists, and spent many mornings outside running or biking with my new workout buddy, and received encouragement and support from my loving husband. All these things made me realize that sure, I may go through some weeks really down (if I won't leave the house to hang out- it's me, not you!), but I have blessings in my life to come back to.
Last Saturday I had a flashback. I drove past Estel Gallery while Artrageous was happening. I didn't participate in Artrageous this year, but last year I did. I remember having a hard time getting dressed for that event, and feeling miserable. I had gotten so down that I'd given up. I hated the dark, cold days so I didn't go outside. I was inactive because I wouldn't go outside, so I started gaining weight. I gained more weight than I ever had before over the winter, and couldn't fit in most of my clothes. I avoided doing anything besides the necessities because I hated the way I looked and felt. And so on. As I drove by Estel, it hit me- what a different place I'm at compared to this time last year. I think in no small part, the people close to me are responsible for this difference. They motivate, encourage, and support my attempts to be a better person- thank you so much!

Hibernation, Mud, and Old Quilts

Ahhh, January is coming to an end. Even though I know there are several more months of crappy weather, at least the daylight is lasting longer. I would know, I check the sunrise / sunset records on weather.com; I'm attempting to wake myself out of hibernation. This month has been exhausting in so many ways. If you work/ have ever worked in retail, you probably have experienced the post -Christmas burn out. I had some major family events early in the month, and more recently have experienced house drama of a ridiculous level ( heat went out twice, frozen pipes burst in the crawl space, and the t.v. died). Its all taken its toll on me- I've been laying low- hiding out. When it gets so gray outside, I feel like I can't think clearly; everything is muddy, even my mind.
Today was gorgeous, though, and I took advantage. My sweet friend Emily ( or E.F. Harper batik artist extraordinaire) went hiking with me at Radnor Lake. The sun on my face was a relief from the rain, and little deer families by the trail were so beautiful I couldn't help but smile. Later in the afternoon I got a skinny grande cinnamon dulce latte (guess where we were) with two more favorite friends, Jennifer & Mary Alice. Now here I am browsing Youtube and googling art blogs in bed with the 2 of the my top 3 snuggle buddies (Jon, you'll always be #1). Oh, and it gets better. My little brother-in-law gave us bright blue sheets for Christmas, and I'm using them right now! Thanks, Paul! They're cobalt blue flannel. Perfect with the blue quilt my grandmother made. Its gotta be about 30 years old- some of the little triangle's seams are coming undone- but I love it more than any new comforter you could find.

Winchester, V.A.

Guess who just saw SNOW!!!! I did ! But even better: I saw Grandma & Granddad Brown, aunt Debbie, her husband Doug, and my cousin Laura. Jon and I drove to Winchester, VA this week, and had a wonderful time visiting the family. We also did a little exploring around town. My favorite is the historic downtown area. There are buildings from the 1800's, cobblestone sidewalks, & lots of apple paraphernalia. In case you didn't know: Winchester is the birthplace/ home of Patsy Cline AND the White House Apple Juice Headquarters. There are apple orchards outside the city, and every Spring there is an Apple Blossom Parade! I have many memories of the parade... my dad & granddad loaded us kids into a red wagon and walked downtown to watch the parade. (Even though we could barely sit still long enough to watch it- Aaron & I usually ended up running through the front lawn of the First Baptist Church instead.) Above are pictures of a mossy cobblestone sidewalk downtown & some of the fantastic old houses. Also, the snow picture is taken in front of my grandparents house. My grandfather, Gerald Brown, built it himself in 1964!