Monday Woops!



Normally, today would be MondayUPs; where I feature recycled and upcycled goodness from around the globe. However. Being in transition here; things are a bit out of whack... and having a very unreliable internet connection (as I am borrowing a neighbor's)... I did not have the time or wherewithal to get a post together. And so..... I will tell you what's been going on instead.

BAJ has made it back to Albuquerque safe and sound.... and is getting settled in to his swanky apartment. 
He is back at work for the next few weeks... and hopefully, getting any final "bits" settled there. 

And I and the daughter... with our faithful Sabrina in tow... are doing things here in Potter County.
We have been taking my mother around... running errands and such that needed done.
We've gotten the house inspection done *and received the final report today!* ... 
so the next turn of events is to get the title to the house updated by a lawyer... and get things situated at the bank.
Once we are able to get access to the "new"  house... we need to clean... and hopefully, paint everything. 
Then we can begin the process of moving our stuff out of storage and into the new place. 

And in the meantime, I need to get a job. Otherwise, there will be major trouble :)
I am in the process of getting information on how to reactivate my nursing license, and then I can go about the process of securing a job. Fortunately... I have some leads on this... and some very pleasant people I hope to work for helping me out. 
And of course, as soon as I am able to get things set up... I will be reactivating my ETSY shop and making lots of pretties to sell there. 
The "new" house has a wonderful basement space (shared on one side with a one car garage) 
that I am thinking will be an ideal spot to set up our studio. 
And that makes me really happy.

What else? It's raining. And it's cooler *like in the 50-60s range today... and it's wonderful.
There is a gorgeous sugar maple tree in the courthouse square that is just turning a vibrant red color... 
and in the next few weeks... I'm sure there will be more.
At the end of the month is the local "Falling Leaves Festival"... 
and I'm really looking forward to that... as well as with reconnecting with lots of friends and family in the area.

And so for now... I will sign off... my afghan wrapped around me... cup of tea in hand
... listening to the rain come off my mother's roof. Goodnight :)

for the weekend


It's been a whirlwind couple of days...
groceries to get for my mom... doing laundry... getting a few things from storage...
and we are all tired.

Today was spent running a few errands... made a trip to the cemetery... talked with alot of people...
Seems like I've been really busy... just not sure what all we were doing.
lots of hustle and bustle... and I've nothing to show for it... or so it would seem.
I hope you are all doing well...
--- my teacup awaits.




for friday


...and so..... today we all went up to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, and got BAJ to his flight back to Albuquerque. He has approx 5-6 more weeks of work there... and has secured a gorgeous apartment. I am more than a little jealous. It has a theater, a pool, a hot tub, a large outdoor lounge/ barbecue area, and super large indoor lounge with big screen tvs... and the apartment itself; although quite small... is very luxurious and modern.
There is even a concierge. whoa.

And the daughter and I are here in Potter County... and have a long list of things to work on as well. But in the meantime today... we spent a leisurely drive back from Buffalo... stopping at all kinds of wonderful places.


This is the Zider Zee. I know nothing about it... except that the food was awesome.
From there... we stopped at a couple farm stands and got some fresh fruits and veggies...
we stopped to take lots of photos...
and we stopped at an estate sale... and got some wonderful little treasures... including a bone china cup and saucer for my mom.
We also stopped at a cute little grocery/gas/whatnot station... and picked up some wonderful potato salad... and some snacks.

All in all.... a very good day...


for thursday


We are here... and today went amazingly well.
We awoke early (on purpose--- which means we set the alarm :)
and promptly went about getting the Uhaul up to our "new" storage unit just outside of town.
Ironically, they are owned by friends of my mom... and had just had the building finished the day before... so we got a brand spankin' new space.
With the HUGE HELP from friends and family... the Uhaul was completely emptied and stored by 3pm. Which means.... we treated all our helpers to an early dinner/late lunch at our local OIP joint.

In between unloading... we met the home inspector at our "future" house... and did the walk-thru with him. Turns out... there are some repairs that need to be done... but they are mainly cosmetic in nature... and not too costly. We don't know about the furnace... and won't know until we can get the gas connected to the house... but it looked promising at least.

The property is on a hill...  and we have woods the back and to the side of our house. On the other side is a bigger, older home... but it actually looks vacant at the moment. Who knew?!
If money were no object... we would actually consider buying that piece of land as well.
But alas.

Then we went to the bank... and went over papers there. There are still some things to be done... but if everything works out... we could be in our new house in a matter of a couple weeks.
Which is awesome.

moving along... moving along...



for wednesday



so... last day of traveling actually went fairly well... even though we were all very tired...

Today was spent traveling from Ohio to PA... but we chose to follow the route given to us by Google maps... and it took us up into New York State and around Lake Erie and such... which is a way we've never gone before. The good news... we had the opportunity to see alot of new things... and the really good news... we didn't have so many back hilly roads to travel... in a big honking U-haul truck.

We arrived in to Coudersport around 11pm... and quickly settled in for the night.

And so... here are some photos from today:




for Tuesday



I like St. Louis... but I am also afraid of it.
I love the architecture... all the old brick factory buildings... all the wires... trains... bridges... etc
But it also scares me... because it seems like it is always under construction... and no matter what route I plan out... it seems like I always end up driving a new route thru the city... and I'm scared I will make a wrong turn or be lost in some infinite loop.

Today we drove from St. Louis to Just outside of Dayton, Ohio... and although my back is freaking killing me... and I probably have 30 pounds of swelling on me.... I feel like we made progress.


In a perfect world... we would be in PA by now. But with added delays and 2 flat tires... we are about a day behind now. Not a big deal... except we won't be getting in until Wednesday night... which leaves Thursday as our only day to completely unpack the truck (once we get a place to unload the stuff in too... and drop off the truck) ... AND get our new house inspected... before I have to take Jim up to Buffalo, NY on Friday am for his flight back to ABQ.
It's gonna take a miracle folks.
Then again, I expect miracles :)
---and why not.


I think I may have figured out the whole downloading pictures from the iPhone thing... or so it would seem tonight... but who knows... I've had a couple glasses of this fabulous peach wine to stop my back from killing me... so I may just be delusional :)

As it stands though... we are in another really nice hotel... we've eaten some good food... stopped at Boot City! and got a pair of black boots for winter!!! in Terre Haute... saw some truly gorgeous scenery.... and did NOT have a flat tire today.
So... thru alot of Missouri... into Illinois... through Indiana... and now into Ohio...
whew! >>sips some more wine<<

On an aside... turns out the U-haul does not have a CD player. eeps... Which left us with the radio *not a good option when you are traveling so much*. However, we figured out how to load Pandora onto the cell phone... and have been happily listening to some of our fav music on this trip... which has really made a big difference. I highly recommend it.


***all the shots for today's post were shot from the passenger side of the truck as we were driving.

for Monday




Today we went from Oklahoma... and into Missouri.

It seems like we are traveling very slowly, but on the other hand... I'm not sure what we could do to speed things up any. I found that all day today I was fairly miserable... and I kept talking to myself and trying to figure out what was wrong... when it occurred to me how much pain I was in ... with my lower back in particular... and with pretty bad swelling in my legs, arms and face. Not sure what it causing it... but the hubby has been forcing me to take it a little easier today.
We started off with a quick trip to a Starbuck's... and it was delish.
From there we just did alot of driving.

Our view today was mostly all farm/ ranch land... green...fertile... and in full bloom.
It is truly amazing. It is all so lush and pretty. In all the years I've been traveling back and forth from Albuquerque to Pa... this is, by far, the prettiest.

Today was also a day of technical difficulties. I've been having trouble with my phone... and I can't seem to access any of the cell phone photos I've taken on this trip. Today... I accidentally broke the battery compartment lid... so it's been a bit problematic to take photos and hold the battery in place at that same time. (even with it taped... and secured... it still wibbles about). Anyway... it's not the end of the world... and so we "carry on."

We did take time out to late this afternoon ... to explore one of my favorite places.... which is the Heartland Antique Mall in Lebanon, Missouri... and then we had dinner at the fabulous T's Redneck Steakhouse.... which is nearby the Antique Mall.

Tonight, we are right outside of St. Louis, and hope to get close to Dayton, Ohio by tomorrow night. See you all tomorrow!

((and in case you were wondering... all the photos for today's post were shot from the moving van... from the road.
No changes were made in the color of the photos... just some cropping and sharpening of some of the details))

for Sunday


Today started off VERY BRIGHT. What can I say... I am not a morning person... and the skies here ... as in most all of the southwest... are waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too bright for me most days.
But I digress.

In front of our hotel (which was super nice)... was a display of old farm equipment and trucks. My dad would have loved it. And so we began our travels through the rest of Texas and into Oklahoma.

We stopped at the Big Texan before we left Amarillo and looked around and got some coffee (thank the gods)... and some postcards to send to people. The back end of it was open (usually isn't) and we got to look around at some new features to the place.

Once we got into Oklahoma, we stopped at one of the Cherokee Trading Posts. There are 3 of them on the route we generally take to go to PA... and they almost always have buffalo...  but alas, today they were hiding out in the barn. Guess it was too bright for them as well :)
As a bonus though..... there was a very studly looking longhorn cattle in a coral nearby... and he was stunning.





And then it was several hours of Oklahoma farm/ ranch land.... which was surprisingly GREEN. I had posted a couple of my iPhone shots on facebook as we were traveling... and there was a conversation about how the photos looked so green... and Oklahoma was not.
And I would tend to agree. Every time I have traveled back to PA... Oklahoma was (by and large) just a mass of brown fields, red dirt and dust. No green. This year however, we saw tons of ponds, creeks full of water... and tons of green fields. All I can say is... Oklahoma must have gotten alot of much needed rain this year... and it was really pretty. It even rained a bit while we were driving.



And then..... we had ANOTHER flat tire. This time, it blew just as we were about to go through a toll booth... and I can only think that we must have hit something on the road... I don't know. But that makes 2 blown tires in 2 days... and I'm hoping this is NOT a trend.
Fortunately, like I said ... we were at a toll booth... so it was a bit more convenient to park and wait. Which we did. For like, and hour and a half... but then the guy (really nice guy named JOSH) showed up and was awesome.

As a reward ( I guess) for this delay... we were treated to singing cicadas... some really pretty pine trees of some variety, some really cool looking cicada carcasses... and a glorious sunset.


Tonight we are in Tulsa... and the beds are comfy :)
Sleep well, my friends.

for saturday


so. We have left New Mexico.
This afternoon we rolled out of Albuquerque in our 17foot U-haul... and as we climbed up the mighty Sandias... we waved goodbye to this city we have called home for the last 18years.
We are leaving behind our (now) grown son; who has a daughter of his own... and lots and lots of  memories.

I did all the driving today.... so some of the photos may actually have been taken by my daughter Kristin; but edited by me. Even Jim took a couple photos! It was fun driving the truck... even though we had a major blow-out right near Moriarity, NM.
Fortunately, we had a couple COWBOYZ; who work for U-haul; come and save the day for us. Delayed us by about an hour... but it was all good.

We honked at our favorite little ghost-town Cuervo... and we delighted to see lots of trains running along the tracks...


We stopped in Santa Rosa for a quick bite.... and discovered how extremely HOT outside it was when we stepped out of the air conditioned cabs... whew! And before we knew it.... we were crossing over the border and into TEXAS.  >>honk honk<<

Our goal was to have dinner at the BIG TEXAN in Amarillo... but alas; we got there and it was supremely packed to the gills... and there was no room at their hotel... so we stayed at a Holiday Inn down the road instead. ... which turned out to be super lush and swanky. It was awesome. We grabbed some "delivery" food from Pacific Rim ... and were all safely set for the night as we sunk our bodies into HUGE pillow tops..... and dreamed.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring...


friday



so today... we woke up very sore from all the work yesterday... packing and such... tons and tons of packing. One thing I will mention though... was that we went to the Stranger Factory --- which is an incredible gallery downtown. I have wanted to go there for a long time... but alas, did not until yesterday... and WOW! This gallery is wonderful... amazing... and has so many ultra-cool works of art.... I wanted to get it all...
It was so wonderful... I hope to do an entire blog post on my visit there... but it will have to wait a bit.

Today.... we went for the final signing of the papers... which officially SOLD our house. Money was transferred to our account... and although it ended up being not as much as I had hoped... it was still wonderful to be done with it all... and be able to pay some things off.

And then... the rest of the day was spent loading a shiny 17foot truck TO THE BRIM with our stuff. We had gotten most of it done yesterday and well into the evening... but in the end... we still had a few things we couldn't fit in the truck to take with us. Fortunately, a friend kindly offered to let us store them at his house. It's funny.... we've been downsizing our stuff for awhile now... and it still amazes me how much stuff we still have. Course, I've probably saved more than I ought to... and the hubby was laughing about how we could be dragging this stuff cross country... just to get rid of some of it... and he could be right.

And then tonight... we had a fabulous dinner with some friends before tucking ourselves in at a local hotel. On an aside... these past few months I've been visited by several awesome species of bugs.... and tonight was no different. Just on the end of the stoop by our hotel room... a young praying mantis stopped to say "hello"

---from the Animal Speak book:
The Praying Mantis teaches how to still the outer mind and go within ourselves.
Through this, we can draw upon greater power --
physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.
That stillness can be simple contemplation or meditation or even dreaming.
Healers often have Praying Mantis totems -- for they use
their inner stillness to focus their healing power.
The greatest lesson this totem teaches is patience.
Learning to wait for the right moment before striking.

.



With the move... posts for the next week or so are bound to be out of whack so to speak.
Most likely, I will skip the "usual" MondayUPs, my photo and Haiku days, and FridayFinds... as we will be traveling; and I will no doubt be showcasing those days on the road with photos and anecdotes of the highway. I hope you won't mind... and encourage you to travel along with us.

Today is all about packing. Packing up 18yrs of life into boxes... and summarily foisting them into a moving truck... well... in the writing of it.... it sounds graceful :) But I expect it to be alot of work... and excitement... and last minute errands... and such. I think I am tired already. 

There are so many things I will miss about New Mexico... but I am also looking forward to this next chapter. This past Sunday, we traveled up to Chimayo... which is one of my favorite places here. I haven't been since 1998 or so... and it has really, really changed. Some for the better... some ... I am not so sure. In either case... candles were lit... thoughts sent reverently onward and upward... and I even got to soak my feet in the cool waters of the Santa Cruz river; which runs adjacent to the church.

You can read more about this fabulous place: 


.



there is a mysticism to this land
a quiet spirituality that resonates in my core
it makes me think, urges me to ponder the unknown
the cosmic
the vast greatness that is this universe
and yet... all the while
it burns.
burns my skin; big fat pompous welts on my arms; my face
making my head ache, my eyes bleed;
my brain boil
my blood move like endless sludge in a collapsing pipe
til is puddles like globs of jam on my bones.
I can't move.
sapped of energy
this physical being ... sick
but my mind...
my mind yearns to run on the land
to gather up it's worn-torn bits
hold them close to my heart
talismans for my life-journey
this growth explosion I've had here
and I thank you.

.



I imagine her as she might have been then...
bustling crowds teeming around her
high society ladies waiting to climb aboard
small dogs at their feet; watching the vendors closely
hoping for a dropped bit of something delicious
And what of those vendors... their arms full of flowers and the like...
shoe shine stands and newspaper carts...
And those neatly dressed porters; their carts full of luggage
covered with stickers from foreign countries
bursting at the seems with linens much too fine for daily tea parties
or meetings with the upper crust
smelling of lavender
fresh from the fields
near the acequias of the great Rio Grande
feeding those parched desert flats to bare fruit once more
thru which these fine steam miracles will travel
over the rails
around the mountains
through the Native land ... wild horses in view
and the vibrant cities...
church bells ringing
children running along the tracks
fading into the sunset
as her whistle pierces the silence

((photo is from our trip up to Santa Fe the other day))

MondayUPs



Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

Today was spent cancelling all our utilities and such... 
getting ready for our move on Saturday...and thinking about the impending drive cross country.
So I thought ...what better?! ... than to feature cool ways people are recycling and upcycling maps these days.

So. Here are some great ideas...


for the weekend


I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed this week... and I am reminded of when I was a mid-teen studying for my certification to be a lifeguard. Feeling the envelopment of water as it flowed all around me. That feeling in the pit of my stomach of doom... sinking... nerves.... deep anxiety. Had I studied enough? Had I practiced enough. Treading water. Would I swim> Would I sink beneath the waters... a failure.... or would I merely float... not quite succeeding per se... but not drowning either.

This time next week..... we will be on the road.

I need to let go of all the woulda-coulda-shoulda's.
I need to make peace with the thought that I can't do it all... see it all... photograph it all...
and that there will be other opportunities. That everything will be OK... and in the grande scheme of things... it is just as it should be.

And so I sit. I open the doors. I let the wind clean out the house... clean out my mind.


-a book I want to get... and one we just got on sale from a local shop. so.very.cool.
-an article on success in business... but can apply to so much more.
-less stress, more living. An article on Huffington Post.
-a wonderful shop for Ayurvedic Herb products.
---> here's a place I want to go to... and another!..
-a thought-provoking list forwarded to me by a friend.
-a very cool site featuring some restored WWII era photos.
-quite possibly... one of the best Irish bands ever.
--and I'm just amazed with this! ...here...
-whoa. The "unlist" of female writers.
-what we had for dinner last night
-a lovely pair of earrings I made this past week
--moon phases and star scapes for where you live

(( the photo for this post is an accidental double exposure that I took the last time it rained here... but I thought it was cool))

friday finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Well... like I said yesterday, the countdown has begun.
One of the last things that will be packed up; is the studio space.
Mainly, because my shop is still open... (I am closing it on the 25th; and will re-open it on Sept 15th)... but also because I am thinking about how to pack up all those little bits and bobs...
bead cabinet drawers, tools, papers, etc... so that they are safe in the moving truck.

Because the studio has been on my mind alot these past few days... figuring out those logistics, etc...
I thought that today's links should be all about beads and jewelry making.


Beaducation
Skye Jewels
Sue Beads
Katie's Beading Blog
HumbleBeads
Gaea Handmade
Beth Hemmila
Beki Haley
Sparrow Salvage
Bead Mystic

***

(( the photo for today's post is a photo I took of the inside of a book. The book was a very cool animation style story... set in the depression... and I just loved the artwork on the inside of the covers. I have embellished it and altered it slightly from the original.
Here is a link to the book: Rust by Royden Lepp ))

.



gently hovering
on the edge of the unknown
the countdown starts now

***

It's hard to believe, but in just over a week... we will be leaving Albuquerque.
I am not ready... I feel like I still have SO very much to do...
and there are several places I wanted to see and photograph, 
things I wanted to finish, people I wanted to say goodbye too...
and yet... I know that it's time. 
Time to move on... to step bravely into the future... 
and whatever that means for us.
Who knows what this week will bring.

.



thoughts
scattered like wispy clouds across this dark sky
too much to think about
pounding in my brain
pressure on my heart
as if an elephant was there
taking up residence
sipping tea on tuesdays... and talking about the weather
drinking his darjeeling in rose-painted cups
chipped from years of use
dirt in the cracks that can never be removed
worn
part of the porcelain now...
part of it's being
somehow filling in those wounds
which once were so obvious
now almost smoothed over
fixed
making it whole
like the moon in my front yard
healing
repairing
making everything all right



((photo is from last night's full BLUE Moon. This is a "layered" shot, composed of 2 photos I took with manual settings. One photo is of the details and shadows on the moon, a second photo shows the color and the cloud details... and then the 2 photos are "sandwiched" together to form a single photo. Other than the layering process.... no editing was done. The color is exactly as my camera recorded it))

.



(her)
manifesting
feeling so unsure of life
feeling the Blue Moon


(him)
don't worry baby
it'll be alright-- and this...
this too; we shall pass


-----------------------------------

((just a quiet conversation in Haiku form... will you join in the conversation?))