"Not" Unlikely

Opening the closet door (or any doors in this house lately) often brings a surprise.  This time it was the hall closet - where the vacuum cleaner resides.  It is probably the least favorite of all of my appliances -- but one must use it occasionally for appearances if for no other reason.

There, seated upon this machine sat an "Unlikely" who was being quite annoying by saying over and over again "vroom, vroom, vroom".  "Okay, enough of that, you're making too much noise".  "But I want to ride this great machine".  

So off we went to the entry way where I vacuumed and he went 'vroom'.  What excitement in such a small package.  After the ride was over I asked his name - turns out it is "Not Unlikely".  I pointed out to him that is a double negative which in this case turned out to be a positive.  I must try to locate him when I vacuum later this week -- he made the whole thing quite fun.

"Its kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

Abundance

If I had nothing else to be thankful for - I can always go to the word 'abundance'.  We all have stashes -- but mine seem to grow every fall. That's when the fiber shows appear and all manner of 'goodies' are on display.  Now who am I to deny a person a sale, especially when one can get 28 yards of fair trade silk chiffon strips for $4.  One of my dear friends and I split this find - and still I'll never, ever use all of my share.  In the meantime it hangs above my desk so that I can look at it.  Sometimes that's enough of an excuse to add to my stash - the 'look at factor'.

And then there are the craft shops that have those bins in the back where they sell 'stuff' for $1.  Okay - pretty hard to walk past that.  Who in the world needs a huge bundle of pom-poms?  Certainly not me -- but the colors were fun, the puffy balls fun to touch and well...

Never a knitter nor a crocheter will I be (due to the fact that I lack the dexterity of a walrus) but does that mean I don't have yarn in my stash?  Of course not -- there it is this 'puddle' of softness, sitting in a wire basket along with other acquisitions.  

What can I say?  These things make me happy. Its easy to justify it all as 'pieces of art' in a raw form - many of them destined to never go further than their studio setting. They are doing their job of exciting me each and everyday with the beauty of fiber. 

"Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance." - Epicurus 

The Joy Challenge

I'm a happy person!  There I said it! 
 

"I Love Lucy"

I think that it is not very popular to be joyful these days. We are bombarded with bad news - catastrophes, governmental shenanigans, bad behavior on the front page of the newspaper, everyday frustrations.  What has happened to us?  When did life become such a 'survivor' sport?

"Laverne and Shirley"

Our motion pictures, magazine racks and television series are filled with violence, disaster, drugs, alcohol and sex.  Even those that are purported to be comedies have a theme of trying to combine all  'seven deadly sins' into one 90 minute program.

"Laurel and Hardy"

 As I've gotten older I'm quite aware of how insignificant each day is, in the scheme of things.  Of how small my little presence is in this great and wonderful universe.  And so, why not celebrate each day, instead of thinking of it as something to be 'gotten' through? 

So here's to fun! Here's to laughter and joy and happiness.  Here's to greeting the rising sun each day with gratitude and peace in my heart.

"Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world.  We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy." - Joseph Campbell

October BJP - "Whimsy"

My October BJP word is "whimsy" - whimsy n. an odd or fanciful notion.  What a lovely word this is -- its a feeling that beckons me as I deal with my everyday work and worry.  Sometimes its right at my finger tips as I blow bubbles on a sunny day, other times it seems far away and I long to laugh out loud, tromp through puddles and create something in the most outlandish color combination I can imagine.

This 'whimsy' bookmark uses one of my personal favorite colors - turquoise.  I have added a touch of pink.  Pink is not a color that I've ever been drawn to - but lately it has been calling out to me.  And don't these two colors work together to create a little 'whimsy'. 

I used a combination of beading stitches - chain stitch, brick stitch, moss stitch and backstitch.  Truly a fun project!

"Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game". -- Michael Jordan