Fall is in the Air
It's chilly in the house this morning. I don't really want to turn the heat on, but I have show plants that are only a few weeks out from show and they could stand to be a little warmer to encourage some more late blossoms . . . we'll see.
Alrighty then - it was 62 . . . violets suffer below 65, so I'm caving early - at least for the next few weeks - and not letting the main part of the house get colder than 65. I'm a sucker for a show plant :-)
Been working on my third Senior Judges' Exam - I need to send it in in the next week. I got most of it completed last night - it's a 12-page, open book test, and you have to include the page numbers where you got the answers. It takes a long time, and it seemed to take even longer because I have the new copy of the handbook, and it's not highlighted at all :-D To keep judging after October, I have to pass the test (which should not be a problem), but I also need to have three blue ribbons at show. I've been shooting for Missouri Valley in a few weeks to get the ribbons I need to continue judging. If I don't get them, I'm sidelined until I do. This is part of the price I paid for starting over. I didn't have anything to take to National, nor to the Illinois State show. But, if you have been watching my podcast, you already know that I have four show hopefuls. They all just need a little more bloom.
Cross your fingers. :-)
Still struggling a bit with getting food and exercise back on an even keel (really struggling with both sugar and fat), and I will be traveling off and on in the coming weeks again - for some reason I nearly always find that to be challenging. After being down 4.4 last week, this week I'm back up about 3.
I'm also struggling with doing too much again, and I'm sure that doesn't help in the self-care area. I'm certainly doing better than I was last year, though (when I had every weekend taken for nine or more weeks in a row (it was bad)). This weekend will be the last time I teach a knitting class for awhile. It's not like I teach more than a couple of times a year, and I do enjoy it, but it's a lot of work. When I go to Fiber Retreat next year, I won't be teaching at all, just taking class :-)
I don't know, but it seems the older I get, the less able I am to be running full-out all the time - and I just don't have the desire to multi-task like I used to. I'm not sure if that's a need/want to slow down and really experience my life (instead of viewing it at a constant blur), or if I'm just not capable of keeping up the way I used to. I'm finding this to be true with my knitting and spinning, too. If you are a member of the Year of Stash Socks group on Ravelry, when the October patterns are announced tomorrow, you'll also get a little taste of what the other mods and I are planning for 2013. It should help.
At any rate, we're headed into my favorite time of year. I wore a sweater last week, and again yesterday. And on Monday, I wore my raincoat - first time . . . I changed the wreath on the front door to my fall one - not that have one for every season. I don't. I'd like to, though! :-D It was cool enough last Friday that I could practice my pipes at lunchtime. I went down on the Riverwalk. The homeless guys didn't seem to mind, and the people on the tour boats applauded - which I think is hilarious because although I can play reasonably well, I really was just practicing. But there is something very elemental about the pipes and people either love them or hate them. The drones have a great deal to do with that I think. They vibrate in the body in a way that is very compelling, and when they are in tune they are magnificent. Yes, contrary to popular belief, you DO tune bagpipes - and most people who think they don't like pipe music likely heard someone or a band that was not quite in tune. There is no faster way to get a headache than pipes that are not in tune . . .
It's cool again today - I'm not going to WW, maybe I'll take the pipes with me for some practice at lunch again. We'll see.
Fall is definitely in the air.
Alrighty then - it was 62 . . . violets suffer below 65, so I'm caving early - at least for the next few weeks - and not letting the main part of the house get colder than 65. I'm a sucker for a show plant :-)
Been working on my third Senior Judges' Exam - I need to send it in in the next week. I got most of it completed last night - it's a 12-page, open book test, and you have to include the page numbers where you got the answers. It takes a long time, and it seemed to take even longer because I have the new copy of the handbook, and it's not highlighted at all :-D To keep judging after October, I have to pass the test (which should not be a problem), but I also need to have three blue ribbons at show. I've been shooting for Missouri Valley in a few weeks to get the ribbons I need to continue judging. If I don't get them, I'm sidelined until I do. This is part of the price I paid for starting over. I didn't have anything to take to National, nor to the Illinois State show. But, if you have been watching my podcast, you already know that I have four show hopefuls. They all just need a little more bloom.
Cross your fingers. :-)
Still struggling a bit with getting food and exercise back on an even keel (really struggling with both sugar and fat), and I will be traveling off and on in the coming weeks again - for some reason I nearly always find that to be challenging. After being down 4.4 last week, this week I'm back up about 3.
I'm also struggling with doing too much again, and I'm sure that doesn't help in the self-care area. I'm certainly doing better than I was last year, though (when I had every weekend taken for nine or more weeks in a row (it was bad)). This weekend will be the last time I teach a knitting class for awhile. It's not like I teach more than a couple of times a year, and I do enjoy it, but it's a lot of work. When I go to Fiber Retreat next year, I won't be teaching at all, just taking class :-)
I don't know, but it seems the older I get, the less able I am to be running full-out all the time - and I just don't have the desire to multi-task like I used to. I'm not sure if that's a need/want to slow down and really experience my life (instead of viewing it at a constant blur), or if I'm just not capable of keeping up the way I used to. I'm finding this to be true with my knitting and spinning, too. If you are a member of the Year of Stash Socks group on Ravelry, when the October patterns are announced tomorrow, you'll also get a little taste of what the other mods and I are planning for 2013. It should help.
At any rate, we're headed into my favorite time of year. I wore a sweater last week, and again yesterday. And on Monday, I wore my raincoat - first time . . . I changed the wreath on the front door to my fall one - not that have one for every season. I don't. I'd like to, though! :-D It was cool enough last Friday that I could practice my pipes at lunchtime. I went down on the Riverwalk. The homeless guys didn't seem to mind, and the people on the tour boats applauded - which I think is hilarious because although I can play reasonably well, I really was just practicing. But there is something very elemental about the pipes and people either love them or hate them. The drones have a great deal to do with that I think. They vibrate in the body in a way that is very compelling, and when they are in tune they are magnificent. Yes, contrary to popular belief, you DO tune bagpipes - and most people who think they don't like pipe music likely heard someone or a band that was not quite in tune. There is no faster way to get a headache than pipes that are not in tune . . .
It's cool again today - I'm not going to WW, maybe I'll take the pipes with me for some practice at lunch again. We'll see.
Fall is definitely in the air.
Comments
Usually let it drop down to 60 at night in the winter, the plants were all established so it didn't mattr before, but these are young.