1.   I now have a Son-in-Law.  Daughter married on Friday at the Justice of the Peace in Upper Marlboro, MD (where Husband and I married – different building.  Our building burned down.  Was rebuilt and then burned down again because of a careless construction worker's match).  It was short and sweet and I took pictures.  Husband ran off and got her that bouquet last minute because we got there earlier than them.  That bracelet belonged to my Mom who died in '77 and hasn't been worn since because it was broken.  I rigged a clasp for it and put a blue crystal on it (old, new, blue). And gave her my garter (borrowed, blue).  None of which she thought about.  "Why!" asks I.  Says she:  "'Cause I knew you'd take care of it."  Mind you we never discussed any of this. 

Afterwards we (Daughter, SIL, his mom, his almost mom, Grandson, Husband and me) went to lunch.  On the way we realized we should decorate their car so we called and said go on in we have to take a side trip.  And we went to Giant and got white shoe polish and did up the car and they were surprised and pleased when they came out.  "Mom, you are so traditional!" says she.  "For some things you need all the talismen" says I.

2.  Then Husband and I went to see "Doubt" in Annapolis because for some reason it is not showing in Southern Maryland.  Husband and I are both products of Catholic education.  The movie is phenomenal.  They got just about everything right (except no wedding rings on the nuns' hands).  I could smell the Church.  I could smell the school.  Were all Catholic schools cut from the same cutter?!And any critic who thinks anyone in that movie is better than Meryl Streep is nuts.

3.  Then yesterday morning (day after the wedding), we have a very large chimney fire.  And we just cleaned the chimney a month ago!  Anyhow that was about 2 hours of adventure while we got it out and cleaned the chimney again.  We need a new liner and there's something in the bottom that has rusted apart and needs to be replaced so we are on heat in these our coldest days in years and the house, at 68 degrees, is not toasty and warm.

4.  Yesterday afternoon, I was going to pull a crab that I cast on Thursday but got sidetracked into working with glass instead (the work stations are now side by side in the garage) and playing with copper to see if my torch can melt it.  Yes.  It can. 

5.  And later still,  while I was making the photo album for my newly weds, I was working on a new necklace made of leftovers with a nice focal bead from Sue Page, my bead lady.  It isn't finished yet – I think I may shorten it and am definitely making more beads to add onto it.  But here it is so far. 

6.  In the past two weeks I have started waking up with new ideas for art work.  Disconnecting from the need to produce income and "playing" – taking a class in abstract acrylics, learning about beads, getting some new mixed media jewelry books – all are expanding my imagination and I am getting very excited and very much out of the dumps I stayed in most of last year.  I am grateful for this turn of events!

7.  Longest friend, Linda, and I have decided to work back through Patty Digh's life is a verb together – Husband gave her the book for Christmas and she hasn't read it all yet.  I want to reread it.  So we are going to be dabbling through it, making our rules on just how that looks as we go.  Both of us are Good Girl A Students.  We are playing through this with no anticipated outcome, just more contact for us than we've had in a while, toward which I am greatly looking forward.

So even the snow sky and no sun of dead winter isn't getting me down this year.  Life is abundant (last year's word) and every day brings new discoveries (this year's word).  No dullness anywhere.  What more could one ask?!

thought for the day:  Why do I step back from participating in my own life?  To whom am I giving over the power about my own life?  Why am I waiting for permission?  Why am I letting other people measure my worth in cubicle wall height?  What story am I telling myself about myselt?  What stories do They tell about me that I've started believing?  What does is mean to be in the shdow of Their story about me?

Stop saying they:… many times we can't wait for the systems that created the mess to fix themselves.  We can't wait for the conditions to be right for change.  It will take too long.  It's not in Their best interest; things are just dandy from where They sit in their chairs with arms.  The crown fits Them.

We cannot give our power away to the people who took it from us in the first place…Find the change you can make and make it.  You'll be funding your own revolution.  Patty Digh  life is a verb