Raige Creations

We have a nice neighborhood to walk in. We can walk down the street, along the river, then walk up a bit of a hefty hill to get back to our place. A nice rectangular walk that includes all sorts of interesting things.  One day, it was the bus stop bench. It has a a great rusty look, right next to the River Walk path.  We have seen clothes left there, food, the usual garbage. This day (being from about 2 months ago - still no sign of Spring), a most interesting piece of what I would call garbage was here, but I would bet that someone will pick this up and do something with it.  Our neighborhood has a great bunch of landowners who have all kinds of interesting bits in their yards. They also add beautiful things to their porches, and even garages! I would love to see this interesting thing left on the porch bench appear creatively in someone's yard. I am not sure what it came from, but I bet it could be used for something interesting. The last time we went by, this piec...

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.  Ann Landers Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/fire-quotes When you get to enjoy a lovely fire, do it. A little nice music helps too. 

Back in the mountains, I love it. I forgot how lovely the summer is here, and finally the weather is gorgeous. The flowers are out and everything is green. Wildflowers My musing this weekend are as simple as enjoying two of my favorite things:  Walking and  Bread It has been tough for me to let myself take the time to get a few walks in ~ yes I was too busy to get walks in and I know that is just an excuse but sometimes you just gotta take a break. From everything.  And any more than that, I just do not want to dwell on. Also, I am not feeling too wordy today, so will just let the pictures speak for me. The road to the RAD and the bakery nestled in the district with the bread (no beer for me)  A river crossing - it sure did look muddy today probably from the recent rains. Bread and soft pretzel - yumminess. River crossing heading home - lovely even if still muddy. At some point, we may be those paddle boarders in the river, if you look close enough they are ...

Lavender, one of my favorite scents and it's color one of my favorites too. I tried the lavender diffuser for relaxation, the lavender soap before bed to sleep more soundly. It obviously didn't work on me, as I had to (finally) see my doc about my new and exciting anxiety and loss of the ability to sleep soundly. Nights had been keeping me up. Still, all that lavender and his suggested medication was not quite enough. However, the past couple weeks I have finally let myself relax. Turns out removing yourself from a toxic environment and exploring another path that seems so much better for me is the trick. It has been challenging, yes. But challenging in an exciting and positive way. And in the evenings I have been relaxing, finally. One evening, sitting just listening to music, I was in such a relaxed state. I was in that in-between state of awake and sleep. It had been a long time since I just relaxed, enjoyed chilling to music. So relaxed, dozing off. Then I heard this song. ...

 I can hardly believe how long it has been since I added to my blog. I often open a tab, create a new post, and watch the blinking cursor tempting me to type something. But it blinks in vain. I sit there, my mind blank. Mind you, it is not blank any other time. In fact, I have written many a great post in my head while laying in bed at 1am or 2am, after a 2 or 3 hour nap on the couch. But the minute the cursor blinks, great words and ideas disappear. I wrote this blog many months ago, but never thought it was quite ready to post. Plus, I had to ask my friend if I could post her picture. We had both been so busy we didn't get to talking about that, or even swimming much. But here this is, I am sharing now because I finally asked and she said sure! The sad part is, we were chatting because she is moving away. And I said, " NO!!! - What will I do without my Swim Buddy!?!? Oh, by the way I have this blog....." So much like the original night I wrote this , I am sitting here o...

Well, it seems the best laid plans of mice and men  are in play here. We are weathering a storm just 2 days days before a planned trip to a wonderful mountain retreat for a wedding. A wedding we CANNOT MISS - it is our daughters wedding!  Despite my huge effort to travel BEFORE the storm (see above - daughter's wedding I CANNOT MISS), an argument with the poor airline customer service rep, and hours on the phone, we are stuck here with a storm,  now named IAN , I had just finally convinced the airline to waive the change fees and fare difference exorbitant price, as at the time there were no warnings yet, it was all for nothings as just then we found out the last seat was taken. No more empty seats before the storm was due to arrive. At some point, between closing hurricane shutters and filling water vessels, hubby shared this gem of a song with me. Hurricane Gilbert hit Jamaica in 1988. I don't mean clipped, I mean went across the entire country from one end to the oth...

When the Universe speaks, we should listen. We certainly don't want to risk ignoring it, right? Okay, well maybe it was just the ceiling fan, and my over stuffed drawer. Either way, I got the message and I listened and did what was suggested.  I was looking for something in one of my junk drawers. Well, not junk, but a drawer where things get thrown to hide if the maid is coming to clean. Mostly it has jewelry, my jewelry cleaning cloths, miscellaneous things I didn't know what to do with and needed to hide.  Somehow, this box of stationary had been in there for donkey years. Mind you, donkey years here is a few years, 4 maybe that we have been in this house. Not sure, but for all I know this box could have been tossed here when we moved in and there it has been ever since. But, this box itself is truly from donkey years ago, probably from 70 years ago. I opened the drawer, and the box got stuck so I couldn't fully open the drawer, and the lid came off, and then I struggled...

Writing has been difficult for me lately. The words just do not come easily, or if they do they are a jumbling mess of rambling on. And not good rambling. So to ease back in I thought a Music Monday would be a nice, easy effort. Well, turns out that wasn't as easy as I thought.  Let the rambling begin! Can you believe this is only the 2nd blog I have done in 2022? I have had lots of stress, work is ridiculously busy and there was an incident that has been quite stressful to deal with. I do hope to write more about that soon. But the words to write about that are not pleasant words, and what I have to share about that I (finally) realize is precisely why I am struggling with writing.  What happened to me made me more reserved, questioning every action I did. I realize now the effect this incident has had on me, and the effect it had on my writing.  Now that I realize what has been the cause of my writing difficulties, I can begin to work through it and get back to writing....

Wow, I hadn't heard this song in YEARS! And here it was...but modern, heavy, cool! We watched Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw - our Saturday night 'date' movie. I wasn't real excited to watch it, but when it started with this song, my mood changed. Was this that song I used to LOVE? Wait, it IS Time in a Bottle , but ROCKIN'!! Okay, this could be a good movie then, if they picked that song , my warped thinking was (it was almost midnight....) And I actually enjoyed the movie, even though it was a completely predicable ridiculous action movie, it was entertaining.  This version, the cover of this oldie but goodie, it was not bad! The song is one of the few songs I learned to play with few mistakes (mostly) on the piano. I have a music box that plays this song. I love this song, and have since the 1970's. I always loved the original Jim Croce song. Yes, it is one of those AM Radio songs I heard playing in the kitchen when I was young. But this cover w...

Quilting. I have done it before, learning a bit more each one, always using what I have found or saved.  My first quilt, from vintage fabric found in my mothers basement , for my wonderful In-Laws. The second was for my flannel shirt loving hubby while we were in cold Western New York. The third for my little girl (not so little by the time I made it) made with her favorite clothes and fabrics through her childhood years - the Stages of My Little Girl . And, I am at it again. This one is for my youngest, tee shirt only wearing son.  Choosing My youngest, who wore the same skull shirt until it was 2 inches too short and no longer black, seen in every picture snapped of him over probably 6 years of his younger life. Seriously, every picture he had the same shirt on, for like 6 years all through elementary school. It is the very faded worn one in the second row, 3rd from the right. This was jet black when new. Now, so loved and worn and absolutely included in this quilt.  C...

Coming on to the light of day We got many moons that are deep at play So I keep an eye on the shadow smile To see what it has to say Mood of today. Poetic groovy-ness. This Chili Peppers groove hits just right some days. Today is one of those days. A nice holiday Monday, with vacation days the rest of the week. Plenty of time to just listen to music and groove. This song is full of groove. In fact, I was just craving the groove, and didn't even pay attention to the words until today. I didn't even know it was called Dark Necessities ( good lyrics I found out, just now, today).  Just wanted the groove , man.  (An added bonus, I had fun browsing for tickets thinking how fun it would be to go to a Chili Peppers concert ! ) I do hope you get some groove time, whether to just flow with the dark necessities or something a little lighter and necessary, or even unnecessary and just for fun. I don't know what you would prefer this Monday, so choose yourself. Just be sure to add ...

 It has been raining since I got up this morning. It is almost lunchtime.  Though I could have slept in today, I didn't. I am taking vacation. Happy that it is raining today. Otherwise I probably would be running errands and busy busy. Instead, I pulled out all the tee shirts that I have to make a quilt for my youngest. I finally have a working sewing machine, and the time to just sit and think about how I want the quilt to look. I am just sitting and brainstorming.  The sound of the rain on the roof, some S. Pellegrino (fancy water I treat myself to, it's the little things sometimes. Fizzy water it a guilty pleasure for  me.) . Ahhhhhh.  So I will continue to brainstorm, while it is storming. I may cut some tee shirts, may play with placement. I have been trying to do some thinking, some regrouping, some work at balancing life, work, self. Heavy thinking. It has been perfect weather for this. I may have some tea this afternoon. And if the sun comes out, well th...

So I got a new filing cabinet. I am bizarrely excited about this. Like, butterflies in my stomach excited about this. Why?  First of all, it has been more than 7 years since I have had a filing cabinet in my home. When we made the  last BIG move , I left the $3 filing cabinet I scored while in WNY. (I LOVED that filing cabinet too - who gets a metal 2-drawer filing cabinet for $3?? Awe.Some) Second, I had fallen in to the terrible habit of piling up papers that needed to be sorted and filed. I had bins I was keeping files in. Bins that are meant for blankets in the living room that you can put your feet on as an ottoman or sit on. These bins are not meant for filing. So, it was awkward trying to file in them. Instead I just piled up the papers and threw them on top of the few files I DID have in there.  Third, in addition to the above, I had a bankers box full of papers filed somewhat haphazardly, as this box is from when I left my last job (more than 2 years ago). I was...

Almost finished with my first ever 2 week vacation, and I finally am unwound and reminded of life without work taking up all my thoughts and time. It took more than a few days to unwind. And more still to tackle some things that I had let slip. I don't know what it was that gave me the motivation to do that 2.5 mile walk (with hubby!) this morning, not rushed. Then I did 30 minutes of yoga after the walk, no rush. I also wanted to get a swim in before the dreaded grocery trip that was needed, but not as dreaded as usual because I wasn't in a big rush.  I had spinach and sugar snap peas and almonds for lunch, with a nice lime in my water - healthy! (It makes no difference that this was all that was left after throwing out the rest of the rotted spinach - it sat in the fridge untouched for a week and a half.)  Lunch - better than it sounds, especially with a little poppy seed dressing A short rain shower delayed me, and I leisurely started some laundry. Then, for the first time ...

I have been full of sour moods lately. I didn't even realize until I started scrolling through my FB rantings.  And, apparently I really have been ranting. My comments without a picture are the most telling. I guess mornings have been rough. Luckily, some old humor found me. Thanks hubby, that one still makes me giggle. Still, it has been a rough road, for over a month apparently.... But, little rewards are helpful. I sure hope the next month and a half gets better.  On a more happy note.  Today is Mango Day.  I got some leftover jars ready to hand out / sell. And pulled some Mango from the freezer for popsicles and smoothies.  Today is not the day to make more jam. After the several weeks I have had, I am taking it a bit easy today. Just some happy popsicles, please. Even just the smell of mangos lifts my spirits. I have been sneaking tastes as the mango defrosts. The first smell literally made me smile. The first taste reminded me life ain't so bad really....