Daffodils and Sourdough

Spring is here. Not on the calendar, but definitely by the weather. My daffodils are blooming and they always make me smile. They were one of my Mother’s favorite flowers and they have been in the garden at this house in Ridgecrest for as long as I can remember and they always come up and brighten the world every year for as long as I can remember. And yes, I do have desert “Yard Art” 🙂

Last week and all its technical challenges is over, thankfully. I only lost one hard drive in what was a mysterious and annoying week of tech issues. Luckily it was a drive that housed only my unedited video. Which doesn’t make me happy, but it could have been much worse. It still runs, it just doesn’t seem to be accessible. I may try and get a computer genius to work with it at some point. I have many other things to think about these days, so it’s not a high priority.

Re-thinking and re-imagining life is still in the forefront. I am working through e-classes on various design programs, reading blogs and articles on resume-building for today’s job market, re-designing classes for those who still want to learn art.

The rules of life are changing again as the current pandemic surge slows. People are tired of being alone and tired of fearing each other and there is lot’s of anxiety out there over how to live as close as possible to “normal”. Anxiety that is real and warranted. I feel it too. I wonder are we done for awhile or is the next variant making it’s appearance somewhere in the world and is it going to be one that is resistant to everything we have done to improve our immune systems? Many people are going just a bit crazy these days, pushing limits and expressing their anxiety in unproductive and uncivil ways. Not helpful.

Anyway, I have daffodils and I also have sourdough bread again!

I made my own starter this time it took 5 days but I was able to bake with it on Sunday and it worked! Unfortunately it didn’t get quite done enough. I made the rolls too big. And I was too excited to wait any longer! LOL It needs to develop more flavor yet, but that will happen over time. Anyway I made ciabatta and it makes me happy. I love making bread not just the finished product.That first bite of fresh hot baked bread is one of my favorite feelings. There is something about the whole process that I enjoy. It’s not fast, there are lots of steps, but it has an almost definite outcome that is rewarding. The good thing is that unlike life, it only takes a couple of days and maybe it’s the sense of accomplishment of a project complete that I like.

Especially since it seems that much of my life is in a perpetual state of limbo. Be thankful for the little things. This is how we need to get through this. I know I’m a broken record in that regard. However, it is how I get through my days. Checking off lists, making small gains, step by step. This is how goals get met. And progress is being made.
On the art front, Watercolor Happy Hour is starting again. Online painting with friends, that’s always fun. I am also figuring out how to do private lessons, both remotely and in person, one to one. Another re-imagining.
I am thinking about a children’s picture book too. Working on an idea, writing simple phrases, thinking in pictures. I am frequently up at 2 or 3 AM making notes. My brain is full. My creativity seems to thrive in chaos. Always many ideas growing at once. This is not new, this is just me. It’s a good thing the only sleeping pals I have are the dogs. They just curl up and go back to sleep completely ignoring me.

So I hope you are doing well, making progress, expressing your own form of creativity, or at least finding joy and peace in life. It’s a new day!

Make it a happy one

Cheryl