Packing It Up

Once on the radio, I heard a man being interviewed explain how to be most productive: recognize what you are best equipped to do that day in your cycle, and do that. I can't remember what cycle he might have been talking about, if it was related to the moon or workweek or a creative cycle, but the idea is that some days are good for creative endeavors, some days fro reading, some days for analyzing, some days for fixing things, etc.  Which is how I like to justify my procrastination.  There are lots of things I would like to do with my time, a few things I thought were important to do today but what I'd really like to do is start packing.  Andy and I are moving in a few weeks and I am ready to start boxing it up.  As if I don't have a few tasks to attend to first.  I started taking down the curtains that enclosed our bed in the winter, for warmer sleeping, and then I remembered to take a few photos.  We are lucky to have this place as our first home in Oakland.  I'll let you know where we land.

double decker desks

fun machine

Add caption

some of the plants.

A Million Substitutions

It's not procrastination, finding things to do instead of the thing on my to-do list. Today, I finally posted things to my etsy store that have been waiting for you. Like these cards that were sitting in storage all lonely. And these handmade nests Jud watched me make a few winters ago, a little nervously, like a tic, in my back yard as I insisted everything was okay.

It's good and weird to be in New Orleans, in the longest stretch of summer, with friends leaving for cooler parts daily. It's quiet and I sit inside and move things around, pack and repack, think about the details of yardsales and moving without thinking about the larger ideas of leaving the state where most of my friends live. It is exciting and exhausting, so I organize what I can while I still have control over something. When I have a studio I sometimes spend a few hours cleaning and ordering things before I work. Like getting your mind ready for the hard stuff.

Obviously I am not making a lot of new stuff right now but I want to share this countdown clock my friend Jeremy created. His friend made the cups. Twelve cups-one for each session of chemo he is about to endure. When each treatment is through, he will drink whiskey from the cup and smash it. He has a jar for collecting the smashed pieces. I am constantly encouraged by my friends' strength and creativity in dealing with obstacles and the way we make rituals to fit our needs, and share them with friends. The way we create and process and smash when we need to. You can read the whole story here. Or not. Jeremy also makes sea monster bags and was one of the awesomest to me when I was not so awesome. Good night, good friends.