Taking a Break

The dog days of summer are upon us with temperatures soaring into the high 90's and the heat index going into triple digits. A cool front moving in is supposed to bring those high temps down over the next few days. I'm really looking forward to fall!

Seems like blogging has become more like bogging (as in bogging down) lately for myself and a few of my favorite blogs. I'm thinking that in part it's a seasonal thing. There's a lot more to do outside in the summer, especially if you have kids. Since I've been working a day job, I've found myself running out of steam by supper time. And then the weekend comes and I find myself trying to take care of things that could have been done during the week. Am I making excuses? Probably so. Another of my excuses is that I'm on a different creative streak. Having a lot of different interests can get frustrating, but over the years I've learned to go with the flow. It's all about finding the rhythm in one's creative cycle. At this point, I'm getting back into woodcraft. It's been several years since I've had a place where I can work comfortably with wood, so it really feels good. And I have so many ideas swirling around in my head. So far, I've designed (but not yet built) a table for the back porch, and re-worked the plans for a new coffee table. Currently, I've built a small storage unit (now ready to be painted) for the tiny hall bathroom.

Am I excited? Yes, I am, and you can begin reading about this new wave of creative energy on my new blog: Creative Rampage. Check it out.

Meanwhile, I'll be taking a little break from rambling and writing to stay home and work on various projects. But I'm not dropping this blog completely. Keep writing!

Wishing you all the best!
Stella D

Armchair Vacation

Summer has totally arrived. We've had daytime temperatures in the 90's, refreshing evening thundershowers, and warm...often muggy...nights. Summer in the South is a time of backyard barbecues, ice-cold watermelon slices, home-made ice cream, and tall glasses of iced-tea, Co-Cola, or Mint Juleps if you prefer. It's a time for lazing around on the porch and reading a good book. But sometimes the best books for summer reading are books with no words. Or few words, as is the case of "The Beach - a Celebration of Life" from Sweetwater Press. A recent jaunt to the mall bookstore netted this jewel.

Along the lines of a coffee table book, its smaller size belies the treasure found between its covers...over two hundred pages of photos of the best beaches from all over the world. From Belize to Big Sur, photos of wide expanses of turquoise water and pounding surf are interspersed with crisp close-ups of shells, gulls, and a few choice words reflecting the beauty and serenity of being at the beach. Truly a delight for armchair travelers or anyone dreaming of that perfect vacation. Lay down the romance novels and thrillers, delight your eyes and let your imagination soar with "The Beach".

Note: As I continue to move along on my journey and explore new directions for myself and Rambling and Writing, the blog, it's content and layout are subject to change. Please bear with me as we go through this process. I value my readers and appreciate your visits and comments. Every blog has its fans...I'm truly grateful for mine. So, thanks, guys...a bunch!

Enjoy the weekend,
StellaD

Momentum

May is certainly flying by, and it's been an interesting one. Weather-wise it's been alternately hot and cold, rainy, sunny, stormy. As we round the corner into June, the heat is on in more ways that one. I feel like I'm on a racehorse coming down the home stretch and I'm banking on momentum to carry me across the finish line. Like any good jockey, I'm keeping one eye on the prize and the other on my surroundings. Of course, I'm not in competition with anyone, but sometimes I feel like I'm competing against myself and often against Time. You know that feeling, I'm sure!

Lately I've been on a wildly creative streak which has sparked the forward motion. In my last post, I mentioned that I would take any action necessary to achieve my goals. One of the action plans I made was to make better use of spare time. This is not the easiest plan to stick to, but I've been working at it with satisfying results. For instance, I have an hour for lunch. As I usually brown-bag my lunch, I go outside to sit and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It's very relaxing and keeps me from feeling 'shut in.' With so much extra time after I munch out, I decided to start working on my book during this time. So, after a leisurely meal, I take out pen and paper and write a few paragraphs for the book. Not to say this is easy...so many times I'm sitting there with pen in hand, waiting for the words to come. That old blank sheet of paper just stares back at me, unblinking, and totally unhelpful. But the point is that I make the attempt and succeed more often than fail at getting something written. This gives me a big boost of confidence, and a sense of having accomplished something. It keeps the momentum going, keeps moving me forward.

This feeling of movement, of being caught up in the current and going with the flow, spills over into other areas of my life. With this creativity streak going, I've started working on my living space to make it more conducive to both relaxing and creating, signed up to take lessons from a local artist whose gallery I've been visiting, and bought some wood to build a much needed coffee table for inside, and a table for the back porch. When you get this kind of momentum going, it's easy to take on too much, and the creativity feeds upon itself. The more you create, the more ideas you have for other projects. Like a rain-swollen river, the creative momentum just keeps pushing you along. And like the racehorse, the exhilaration of running ahead of the pack, heading down that home stretch, keeps you focused on your goals.

Summer is a great time to turn up creativity and start a new project (or tackle and old one). It's time to get out and about. It's time to....

Catch the Momentum! Get Creative!
StellaD