Catching Up

 What a week.  My husband has had a stomach flu, and between caring for him and worrying, my normally relaxed schedule has been chaotic.  He's finally doing better, but he was as sick as I've ever seen him and had to have an IV because of dehydration.  Whew!  At least it wasn't Covid.

I did decide to participate in InCoWriMo this year, but I'm now behind and I sent at least one postcard out without a stamp.  I was waiting for my new postcard stamps to arrive, but guess I, uh, forgot that they had not yet arrived!

To Bryce Eleanor 

To Jolisa

Love our mail carrier!

To Melissa

To Susan

To Omega

Whew!  I still have letters to respond to, but now I'll have more time to get them done.  

Books/Reading:  

Dust Bowl Girls-nonfiction about a girls' basketball team in 1930's.  Very good.

Mr. Mercedes - audiobook by Stephen King.  Creepy and suspenseful!

A Divided Loyalty--an Ian Rutledge novel by Charles Todd.  Love this series.

At Home on an Unruly Planet--nonfiction.  Excellent!

A New Month

Books/Reading:  I'm trying to catch up on reviews on my other blog.  I got so behind on reviewing in December and most of January, but I have been working to finish as many reviews possible and maybe be back on track in February.

Currently reading:  At Home on an Unruly Planet by Madeline Ostrander-- nonfiction about the loss of "home" and what home means to us.  The floods, hurricanes, and wildfires with which the world must now contend are more devastating and more frequent, and the stories of those who have lost everything (sometimes over and over) and how they face the aftermath of these catastrophes is a compelling and heartbreaking account that requires amazing resilience.  

The truth that must be acknowledged is that even if we are not in those particular areas, we are all vulnerable to climate change and global warming--if not right now, we will be sooner than expected because it is happening faster than originally predicted.  The book has some marvelous examples of the resilience of some communities, but the governments around the world and locally should be making preparations for the future.  

Mail:

 The last of January's outgoing mail.

At the last minute, I decided to participate in InCoWriMo--and send something in the mail each day that the mail runs in February.  This is a challenge, but in addition to the people I already write, there are plenty of names of folks on the lists for InCoWriMo and Send Something...so I'm going to try.  It has been about 4 or 5 years since I've attempted one of these challenges, and we will see how it goes.

January has flown by

Books/Reading   some of January's books:  Billy Summers by Stephen King(audiobook) , The Lincoln Highway (audiobook), Jack Gatland's Declan Walsh series (went wild and read books 1-8), The Raven Spell by Luanne G. Smith, The Dying Day by Vassem Khan (another audiobook).  I liked all of these. :)

Since I had the audiobooks, I also used the listening time to do chores, to work on my mail art, or to embroider on the apron I spilled bleach on a while back.  

Here is the apron hanging with the laundry, awaiting the next audiobook and more stitches.  As usual, nothing pre-planned, just keeping my fingers busy while I listen to a book, and no fancy stitches because they require thinking.  

My Deep Pocket aprons are great and I can keep my phone and kindle with me as I go about my day.

Mail

I love this article by Bonnie Jeanne!  Just a snippet:  

SPECIAL DELIVERY

Suggestions From a Mail Enthusiast

She wants you to raise those little flags on your mailbox

BY BONNIE JEANNE TIBBETTS JAN 26, 2022

I love my job. I get to deliver mail to people in the town where I live in all its splendor, all year round. The summer traffic is intense, and I am not great at left turns onto the highway, but most postal routes keep us turning right, so that is helpful.

While I am not fond of large, heavy packages that are hard to fit in my little mail truck (I mean you, kitty litter and bottled water!), most of the time I get to deliver fun packages, or so I assume. I hope you all are ordering more than just paper towels and other mundane household items.

Sadly, I don’t get to take a lot of fun outgoing mail from the mailboxes I visit. Those little flags on your mailbox need some exercise! And I have some suggestions.

I was already thinking of adding two of her suggestions to this post, but then I found Bonnie Jeanne's article, and she does a better job of it than I would have! Do follow the link and read the whole article.

I'm almost caught up with my own mail.

 Bonnie Jeanne and I have been corresponding for a year now.

postcard to Thérèse

postcard to Teresa E.

Postcard to Mila,

who has a new job at a French bakery

postcard to Max,

with another pun

Progressing into 2022

 I've continued sketching and filling sketch books, making postcards, decorating envelopes, writing letters, and reading, reading, reading.  I've been having some problems with the computer lately. Anything I typed kept goingggggggg annnnnd couldn't be backspaced or deleted.  I tried everything I could think of, spent so long making a comment or writing a post that the frustration resulted in abandoning whatever I was trying to do.

Finally, after days of frustration and at the point of self-immolation, I asked my husband for help.  He replaced the batteries in the keyboard.  Duh--I didn't even know the keyboard had batteries.   

                                          Postcards to Hannah and Annie (Scribbling Glue)

Letters

Since I've been spending so much time in my sketchbooks and making decorated envelopes and writing more letters, I've started looking for new ideas.  

Love these owl envelopes!  Etsy:  miss pink robin

She has 3 different sets of linotype owl envelopes and a lot of other cool stuff in her shop.

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HA!  I sent a postcard to Annie, just checking in, a couple of days ago because I had not heard from her in so long.  Yesterday, her letter postmarked Dec. 7 arrived!  Melody's Christmas card from Singapore was postmarked Dec. 10 and arrived before Annie's!  

Today, I'll get right on Annie's letter. :)

---

2022

It was a long December that had me slightly depressed and anxious for weeks.  My defense is always to read more and  embroider or draw.  I've done a lot of both of reading and drawing, especially for the first few weeks this month.    Then it was over.  On realizing what had been bothering me, the miasma lifted.  That subconscious is a powerful thing.

We had a wonderful Christmas Day with Amelia, Chris, and Bryce Eleanor.  Since Max and Mila are in France visiting their other grandparents, Erin ended up skiing  with friends.  She didn't have enough time off to come home.  We missed them.  

Now, we are embarking on 2022.  I suppose we are all casting back to the past two years and wondering what the new year will hold.  

 I've found a new source of inspiration in Mix It Up Marci.  Simplicity and charm.  Marci paints with coffee; monochromatic little drawings that depend on tone and shade.  I've seen a lot of paint swatch doodles, but I like that Marci works entirely in shades of coffee.  

Marci even has scans of her stuff that you can download and use.  I didn't use  coffee, but tried various shades of brown, and although it doesn't show up, some shimmery gold.  It was great fun, and I'll be playing with more like this...

postcard to Amelia, Chris, and Bryce Eleanor

Doodling is one of those relaxing and meditative ways to spend time without any stress of completion.  

I just liked this sign for its great attitude.

It made me think about not only the big picture,

but about the small exclusions and inclusions

we make in life.

Mail Sent over the last 3 weeks

Christmas Postcards and Letters

to Hester

to Penn

to Ricky and Teresa

to Patty & Dave

to Iliana

to our Mail Carrier

to Bryce Eleanor

Letters

Books/Reading:  Lots of reading.  Just a few.

Listened to the audiobook Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians, but Were Afraid to Ask by  Anton Treuer, who is himself an Indian (Ojibwe) and does not object to the term.  He does, however, note that not all indigenous people feel that way.  He grew up with the term and uses it in self-reference.   Indian Halloween costumes and mascots, on the other hand, he feels are disrespectful.

The format is question and answer, and includes history, culture, language, stereotypes, racism, sovereignty, and much more.  Truer approaches each subject in a non-confrontational manner.   It is not, as you may imagine, a pretty picture, but it is fascinating.

Excellent and informative!  

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This just cracks me up!