Thursday theme: wheel

I don't know why, but the first time I saw the Thursday wheel theme on both ched's and kim's blogs I thought about Tibetan prayer wheels. I'm not a Buddhist, and I've frankly never seen a prayer wheel until looking at them online, and only vaguely realized they were even Tibetan, but I'm been drawn to them since this invitation to post about wheels.

There is a digital prayer wheel, but I'm not sure who is responsible; it is not enough I think to be merely intentional in thought.We need to send prayers circling, hugging, as well as aloft, as lighting a candle does for me usually. A lot for me to consider . . .

Dyeing

That -e is important, isn't it?

I spent all day Saturday and all day Sunday in what was the cafeteria of an elementary school that is now a Community Center, at a dyeing workshop. They are doing some great things there; there is a huge community garden out back, a little library, all kinds of studio space, too.

Actually, I spent a good deal of Friday there, too; I was on hand to help set up, which meant covering the entire floor of that cafeteria with sections of what used to be, apparently, a gigantic plastic banner that hung down the side of a building and was cut up for painting, dyeing, etc. workshops. Plus covering every imaginable surface, and some I hadn't, with painters' drop plastic, which comes in a roll à la plastic wrap.


Above, some of my skeins, photographed atop my work.

My table partner dyeing her skein; mine is to the right. Both of us felt very tired after all of this, and I was under the weather yesterday. Dyes are quite toxic, and Lynne, our instructor, is very sensitive to the fumes. She had to absent herself from they dyeing room for a while. Interesting that this is what she does, but has to work around heightened sensitivity.


My dyeing partner also brought me a gallon of milk from her cow and a pound of butter she made! The butter is delicious; the milk I'm going to use to make another attempt at cheese.

Fleece set out to drye.


Our instructor, Lynne Vogel, giving a spinning demonstration. I haven't been at my wheel for months, so I am still very much a novice . . .


A bunch of stuff I dyed, hanging up out of reach of Bear and Soul. We did a couple of silk scarves, which was fun, as we just dribbled the dye over them.


Close up of spinning . . .


I don't think I'll be dyeing much on my own, but P had put a deep sink down at the studio for dyeing, so perhaps I'll have more done. I did get a large hunk of mohair bouclé to do something with, but I might use Koolaid (which, by the way, has some surprising stuff in it; you may want to rethink ingesting it).

Thursday Theme: Wings

Some wings are figurative:



Some are folded, waiting, protecting:



In preparation:



to eat:

The watcher:



Some hummers around, who are very guarded and watchful over their food source. There are actually quite a number of them. There is a male (above) who guards the feeder, and seems only to allow his mate to eat. Any other male is chased off with a grandiose tail display and much chittering. They have finally, grudgingly used the disk feeder, but the teardrop is preferred by mostly everyone.

Some aspects

of Folk School last month . . .


First quilt . . .













Time seems to be moving just like this:



I love Morris dancing . . .

Thursday Theme: Hair

I remember dancing around the living room to this song (long long ago), and wondering how cool it would be to have a family like this!

Also, I understand that there is a revival of Hair

I've been

looking forward to listening to this; in fact, I've sent for it, because I'm download challenged. I'm not sure I can buy the download and then transfer it onto (burn) a CD. Anyway, you should look for this . . . Also, wish I could live here, which is where the two who make such wonderful art and music live.

Thought for today

A healthy discontent is the first step to progress.

—Emerson

I also want to thank Dine-o-Meter for giving me an award! What next?? And where do I put it? My mantle is full!!

Thursday theme: Steps

I thought about lots of different kinds of steps; we take steps in the right direction (or wrong) every day, trying to do the right thing, trying to keep on a positive path. I thought about actual steps, and so my feet took me around my area, to some places I didn't realize HAD steps.

The first is a park in my town. It borders on a trail. Stacie reminded me of this park, which I rarely visit.



And overlooks the river and beyond






On the way to finding some steps, L caught someone working at cleaning the steps here:



Steps reflected, next to the aquarium:



Steps down, under the bridge, to the river walk:



More steps, right next to the river:


leading to this, which I've never really looked at. I had thought it had a function, just seeing the top of the spume from the road, but this seems to be a sculpture; some of the pipes are of different colors, made from different metals. Seven for the seven Cherokee clans?


The glass bridge across the highway, from the museum to the walking bridge; sometimes pretty scary to look down:


A view from it toward the river walk:



Stepping along the walking bridge:



Going home? I remember lugging along someone, just like this, on a hot summer day, not too long ago, either:

This week

L: cello, music in the mornings, and walking Zeke in the evening. School starts on the 18th. Time to fall into a schedule. Not looking forward to it. Two more years . . . very much not looking forward to the End.