Post #3318: Un-thawing for spring

Between the flu, dental surgery, and another cold – the last month has been a bit much for me. I’m finally feeling energetically here, and I plan to return to my gym routine this weekend – I’m feeling stiff and like every part of me needs to come back online slowly over the next little while. It’s very in keeping with the oncoming spring here.

Despite all of that, I have been weaving a lot and also tending to my studio. A power outage this week gave me a day off work in which I got some more studio organizing done, and also prompted me to get serious about putting a small woodstove in there. After ten years in which we’ve had regular outages (some for as many as 5 days), I’ve decided it’s time to put an alternate heat source in the studio so I can work there without freezing when there is no electric source. I also like the idea of using wood heat up there more often as in the winter months I find it hard to keep warm with the small electric wall heater. I will share some photographs of that project at it progresses, but at the moment I’m working on downsizing some materials and moving furniture to create the space for the stove to go.

In other life news, the budget implementation bill (C-15) received royal assent yesterday – this contains the provisions that will allow me to retire early. If everything goes as I’ve envisioned, I will retire in seven months. I still have to be approved for the program once it opens next week – so it’s not a done deal yet, but another hurdle out of the way. And honestly, it can’t come soon enough – work has been a real drag lately for a number of reasons (not the least of which I have no patience for another project gone off the rails because of a total disregard for my advice).

The next little while is going to be busy with visitors, family commitments, and workshops that I’m giving in April (one on Advance Care Planning, and one on Japanese Bookbinding). In May I have three separate trips to Vancouver planned for different things, not to mention three house concerts at Birdsong.

I’m hoping that despite the busyness I can find time for sewing some new wardrobe items – I’m really feeling the need for new clothes right now. I would also like to push my weaving a little and am thinking about creating and entering a piece or two for sale in a juried show here in May. That would mean getting to the end of my current sample warp this weekend, and getting something else on the loom on Monday/Tuesday of next week (chop chop!)

Also, today is day 34 of the 100 day project, and I have been faithful to my goal of doing something weaving-related every day since February 22nd! I am a third of the way through and honestly it has been an excellent exercise in focus – something I really needed to get back to weaving (which I had forgotten how much I like – it had started to seem impossible).

Clearly I am channelling all the popping up energy of the season, and am going to get moving outside of my studio again soon!