Old Friends, New Friends, Christmas Cactus and Tracing Paper

Tonight my friend, Kristine, took me to El Dorado Lake to meet her friend, Vicki, who has a fabulous house with amazing vistas. This Christmas cactus was blooming and I couldn't resist a photo as dusk fell and the brilliant blue out the window was framing the red blooms. Of course, a couple of kitty cats asleep in a window seat only adds to almost any scene.

Vicki took us on a tour of her home, including her creative space where she sews and works on other projects.



These neatly organized buttons and notions caught my eye.



Vicki and Kristine have birthdays that are close to each other on the calendar, and this was their birthday gathering. It was so nice of them to include me. Vicki had gotten Kristine's favorite - angel food cake and strawberries. It was delicious.

It was a nice end to a full Saturday that started at the Farmer's Market.



Today was the opening day and it was hopping. I didn't go until after 11 and it was still busy. It occurred to me it might be a good place to set up an art booth on occasion. Don't know that I'll ever do it or if it even fits their criteria, but it could be cool.



After the Farmer's Market I met Greg at Roy's. I can't go as often these days now that I work in an office with other folks who might not always enjoy the smell of barbecue all afternoon. So, it was good to correct my Roy's deficiency today.



After Roy's I made a stop at the Et Cetera shop where I got some treasures. I was more than a little excited to find the tracing paper on the right here. It has been used, so has little indentations from the tracing wheel on it. I know it will be a great addition to an art project. A little paint on it to accentuate the indentations will do wonders.

While I was still excited about that find, I noticed another package, which is an even older one. Grand total for both purchases was 30 cents. That wasn't all I bought there today, of course.

It has been a very nice Saturday. Nothing on my "have to do" list got done, but I had a great time.

Beauty in the Day

Last week (or was it the week before) when I was driving through the Flint Hills I noticed these beautiful clouds. The photo doesn't do them justice. They were different shades of blue - perfect, clear, beautiful blue.

The prairie has a beauty that is unlike any other kind of beauty. It's more subtle, some might say more stark. I'm from a part of the country where beauty is very evident. Everywhere you look there are green trees, rolling hills and a lush landscape. The prairie does not give up its secrets so easily.

For the past few years the message has come to me multiple times in different ways that I need more beauty in my life. I'm never sure what to do with that. I try to pay attention to beauty around me. But it seems the universe is telling me there's more to appreciate than I've noted.

The days can slip by so quickly, with little time for noticing the beauty around us. Now I spend my work days in a windowless office, so the beauty of the outside world is not available to me during much of the day. But of course there's beauty beyond the natural world.

Earlier this week I spent a day outdoors with campers from one of the summer camps at work. These were eighth graders from El Paso, and they gave me a good feeling about the future. They were kind and helpful to each other, self-assured, intelligent and delightful company. I took photos and video of them doing their various activities.



Today I made a quick trip to Wichita to be on one of the midday news shows, talking about the Coffee next week, which I'm sorry to say I'll miss because I'll be out of the office.

I'm going away for a retreat. I need it. There is much going on in my life and I need to do some sorting and prioritizing.