This n That

Well that just looks strange. Blogger feels flip again today. sigh.

Did I tell you about the sticks at Hartland?

I took a nature walk on Sunday, looking for a stick for a particular idea. As I walked, I picked up sticks. Each time I picked one up, I felt guilty. For those of you not from CA, it is illegal to pick up anything in a forest, whether it be stick, stone, pine cone, whatever. You MUST leave everything as you found it - you wouldn't want to desecrate our pristine surroundings. (That attitude has led to horrendous forest fires, but that's a story for someone else's blog.)

So I picked up sticks, and as I returned to the retreat area, I saw a number of men who either are or have been intimately involved in the running of Hartland. I asked if it was alright for me to take some sticks, and showed them what I'd gathered.

I gave them all a good belly laugh. :) They invited me to pick up all the sticks I wanted. "Bring your friends! Bring a truck! We'll get you a rake!" I guess every spring they have a big clean-up where all the sticks are brought together and - shudder! - burned! ;)

Needless to say, I brought home some sticks.

Malcolm thinks they are for him. He loves the way they smell. I actually gave him one of the bigger sticks, that still has some bark and moss on it. He rubs his head on it and chews it. He is a very strange cat. :)

Here are two little items that I put together at Retreat. The bottom one may measure 9" square. I have plans to do some thread painting and beading on both, so you'll probably see them again in a few days.

Other than that? My real job of "housewife" is interfering with creativity. Then again, as I've discovered, messes severely interfere with creativity, so I really need to get this place in order. Or something like order. Or better than it is now.

Goals are good!