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December, it’s about the waiting…

December's a time of waiting...
December, it’s a time of waiting…

 

It’s December, Christmas-time here at my house, and the waiting’s begun…

For Christmas, but that’s a given.It is Advent. In the meantime, I’m trying to get decorations up and cards written. Then there are the cookies to bake and a party to prepare for. But again, this is usual stuff at this time of year. And I’m behind just as I am most years…

A phone call to go through. I just got back from Albuquerque’s Biopark where I was doing rug hooking demos with the guild and walked into the husband and the kid both manning phones that were on hold. If I have to listen to the disembodied voice repeating “all our agents are busy” for much longer… The kid needs new healthcare, and it’s not been an easy process. How many of you can relate?

 

No waiting in line.
No waiting in traffic during the day! Bossy is one of the new exhibits at the BioPark’s River of Lights. See it through the New Year. Sure, it’ll look better at night, but you get the general drift. It’s a beautiful show and a great fundraiser for the park.

A brandy, new rheumatoid arthritis med to work. I started it about a month ago. I hear I’ll know within six to eight weeks if this one will do the trick. At least my own insurance finally agreed to cover it. 🙂

—  A rug design idea. The Albuquerque Fiber Arts Council is sponsoring a show in April. The theme is “Earth, Wind, and Fiber.” The call for entries opens January 1 and closes February 25. Despite mulling on it for longer than I’d like after I get into bed, I’ve not yet come up with a design idea for a rug to enter. Think, think, think…

Waiting for a design idea.
The lovely lady behind those Foster Grants purchased “The First Boucherouite” last month at the Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta. It’s still one of my favorite rugs, and I called it the “First” for a reason. Hm, do I really need a brand new idea this week to start working on a rug?

A secondary rug design idea so I have a rug to work on while I wait for the above idea to come through.

High on Hooking’s Christmas party. Okay, that’s just what Tom and I call it, but every year we plan an evening nice out at a good restaurant. No ordering at a counter!

What Tom and I will do for our 25th anniversary next month. We’re thinking a BIG trip, but not in January. We haven’t decided where or when yet, but more on that to come…

The Old Pueblo Rug Hookers Hook-In on January 27. I’m even more excited for the trip this year because last January I won a great door prize: free admission in 2018! Woohoo! And it’s always warmer in Tucson than it is here in ABQ.

Waiting for the Patriots.
We’re just waiting for the Patriots to continue their magic.

 

 

— For the Patriots to clinch their division next week in Miami.

Tynan to finally get a little brother! It probably won’t happen till the spring or so, but Tom finally agreed that we’ll get a puppy this coming year. Woohoo! I love having two dogs, and Tynan benefitted from the “wisdom” of his predecessor Murphy. Albuquerque is a great city for rescues, so we’ll probably go that way. There’s gonna be a baby in the house again! (Beth Miller of Parris Hill Wool Works knows just what I’m talking about. Check out Wyeth these days!)

What are you waiting for this holiday season? Whatever it is, remember these wise words from Grumpy Cat:

Patience:

What you have when there are

too many witnesses.

 

Tynan’s back with “What’s on the frame this week.” He’s not showing you a lot of the rug as it’s one of nine “friendship rugs” that some of us in the guild are working on. More about them on 2018. And, yes, that is my completely undecorated Christmas tree in the background.
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Where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, so I’m hoping you’re wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to. To tell you the truth, most of it’s been fun though some of it… wasn’t so fun.

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Myself, Tom, and Yvonne at Madrid’s Hollar having a stellar lunch.

First off, we welcomed my sister-in-law Yvonne and some of her family to New Mexico on September 29. Yvonne stayed with us for about a week and a half. During that time we made all kinds of excursions. Of course, we headed up to Santa Fe one day. We drove the fun way, via the Turquoise Trail which goes right through Madrid, an artsy, little, one-time mining town. We poked through galleries and shops then had lunch at the fabulous Hollar Restaurant (If you ever get there, I recommend the ahi tuna sandwich. A bonus: they carry gluten-free buns!)

Brother and sister on top of the world. Or at least on top of the Sandias.
Brother and sister on top of the world. Or at least on top of the Sandias at almost 11,000 feet.

Other days we perused Albuquerque’s Old Town for gifts for Yvonne to carry home to Boston. We headed to the tramway that goes up Sandia peak but it was mobbed given all the tourists here for Balloon Fiesta. Instead we opted to drive up the east side of the mountain. On the way back down I convinced Tom to take an alternative route, one not on most maps mostly because it quickly becomes a rocky, dirt road type of adventure. Especially if you’re in a Honda Accord. But what views! And now I know where Sandia Man Cave is; not that I’ll see it any time soon. Unless we trick out my Honda Fit with big-ass wheels as Tom’s Accord is done with that route.

 

A "glowing" balloon at Albuquerque's Balloon Fiesta.
A globe “glows” at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta.

 

 

 

 

About Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque’s annual, international party. Last year we attended mass ascension. That takes place in the early morning when all the participating hot air balloons pretty much take off at the same time. It’s an incredible sight, something to put on your bucket list. Because many of balloons tend to fly close to, if not right over our house and Yvonne got to see that, we chose to visit fiesta during the special shapes “Glowdeo.” Special shape balloons aren’t round like most,but are made to be a character or animal or an item like Wells Fargos’s trademark stage coach.

Uncle Sam comes alive as the sun goes down.
Uncle Sam gets all fired up as the sun goes down in Albuquerque. Wish I could’ve gotten a good shot of Darth Vader and Yoda.

 

On certain evenings the fiesta holds a “glow” during which pilots fire-up their balloons in the dark. They stay tethered to the ground, as you can imagine it’s probably not a good idea to fly at night.Turns out, you should put this event on your bucket list too. It’s that special.

 

On Yvonne’s last day, the three of us and Marcelle, one of her daughters, enjoyed a tasting at Acequia Winery in Corrales, a neighboring village in which I think almost every resident owns a horse or three. It was a fitting send-off after a good visit. We hope she comes back next year.

 

The view from the back patio at Acequia Winery. There's no place better to sit and sip.
The view from the back patio at Acequia Winery. There’s no place better to sit and sip.

 

 

Now for the less-than-fun I mentioned above.

 

My dentist had started prepping me for a crown not long before Yvonne arrived. Shit happens and my crown became the root canal from hell. Ostensibly, it was finished the day Yvonne arrived and that was to be that. Except, except – and some of those who know me will find this funny – I developed lockjaw. Which continues to this very day. I understand it could be a few weeks or even two months (!!!) until it clears. In the meantime I have to cut up all my food into itsy-bitsy bites till it all resembles a nursing home meal. My only saving grace? I can still drink. Let the margaritas flow! And Acequia’s wine while we’re at it. Oh, and Tom Brady’s back winning with the Patriots, so I guess life’s not bad at all.

What have you been up to these past few weeks while I’ve been on social media-light?

NOw that you know where I've been and what I've been doing, you can also appreciate all the hooking I've done too the last few weeks. My guild held a 3-day retreat last week. What fun!
Now that you know where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing, you can also appreciate all the hooking I’ve done the last few weeks. My guild held a 3-day retreat last Monday – Wednesday. I managed to get a lot of my tree done. Here’s to a big reveal soon!
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