All by Myself

I do believe that I am turning into a hermit. It's funny to think that on most days, the only whiff I get of the outside world is when I open the back door to let the dogs out. Sometimes I make it a little farther outside-- usually out to the front and up to a neighbor's house-- but that only happens when one of the dogs (or more often, both) decide that I need some exercise and takes off out of the yard.

It's starting to show a bit-- I feel as if I'm thickening up for the winter. Perhaps I'll go into hibernation come December:) I keep telling myself that I'll put our treadmill to good use, or maybe lift a weight or two (all squirreled away in the basement) but so far inspiration (or rather, motivation) seems to be lacking.

I wonder if being solo develops character. It's amazing the amount of time I spend all by myself. Today I holed up in the basement with the sewing machine. I spent time laying out my fabric, cutting, ironing, and stitching pieces together. It's deathly quiet down there, aside from the humming of my machine, and I sing bits and pieces of hymns to myself as I pass the time.

The jacket is progressing nicely. I still have tons to do, and I seem to be determined to make it a piece of art. I take the long way every chance I get, and my only hope is that this will show in the quality of the workmanship. God is in the details, as van der Rohe says. It's a very painstaking process though, and I just pray that I have the patience to carry it through.


In other news, I've found another way to pass my time: a television series that I am sure to become addicted to. It is a British series called The House of Eliott. It ran from 1991-93 and I netflixed it the other day. It's about two sisters who are left poor after their father suddenly dies. The plucky sisters get together and start a fashion house, making their own designs. You can see the immediate appeal of the show to me, but additionally, it is set in the roaring 1920s, which happens to be one of my favorite decades. Although the series looks dated (the film quality, etc.), I'm already hooked and cannot wait for the next disk to come so I can follow it along.

Heading Home

I leave the land of sand and surf tomorrow morning and head back to the East Coast. It has been a wonderful month filled with new experiences and beautiful new friends and I am loathe to leave. I must stay positive, so I'm making a top 10 list of things I'm looking forward to returning to (in no particular order) that act as my consolation prize.



1. Play my violin. Surprise, surprise. The non-violinist actually misses her instrument and looks forward to squeaking out a few notes on the old fiddle.





2. Eskimo kisses with Siegfried. Siegfried is my Miniature Pinscher. Weighing in at a hefty 20lbs or so, he is less the dragon slayer that he was named after and more a shy, whimpering pup. One of my favorite features, however, is his nose, which isn't much different than others in the species, except that his likes to rub my own when I give the command, "Eskimo."




3. Go in search of the Dead. Being in Los Angeles has meant that I haven't had the time to work on my quest of discovering my roots. While I may never be able to prove if I am indeed related to the infamous James Brothers or the Queen of England for that matter, I am eagerly filling out my family tree on Ancestry.com. I've made it back to the early 1800's on some of the line, but that's barely scraping the surface.

4. Time with the Sis (and other family). There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home. Dorothy was on to something with this oft-repeated mantra: no matter where one goes, or what worlds one see, there's nothing that compares with home. Whether on the spiritual level, or just here in the day to day, both body and soul are only completely at rest when they're at home. And, for me, an integral part of being home is time with Ernst, the Moo, and the Poo.

5. The Greatest City on Earth. Being on that other coast line means that I'm near one of the world's greatest cities: New York City. Even though I like to claim that I'm scarred from my experiences there, you'll find me hunkered down there at least one week a month in the city that never sleeps. And why not? My best friends in the world live there, my favorite church is there, and no matter what, I seem to still be able to get work there.

6. Back to Church Life. While it was fun bouncing around to all the churches that Los Angeles has to offer, there's something to be said about going to a place where everyone knows your name. My church in Delaware, Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Newark, is kind of like that; I've been going there since I was 14, so the people there treat me like I'm part of the family. My other church, Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, is where I have my membership, and is home to some of the best teachings on the Bible that I've ever heard. Visiting there is like seeing an old friend: I find refuge and comfort and know that I'm loved.


7. Miss Morgana la fey. Much like the character in the Arthurian legend, I am utterly bewitched by my 14 year-old niece, Morgan. She's suddenly cool, and discovering better things (like boys), but I'd like to think that this old aunt still has a place in her life. She's a pet lover, so we like to take the pups to Middle Run Natural Area (where on a recent trip we rescued a raccoon!). She loves movies, MySpace, and photography (especially of herself. Sigh.), and I try to push a bit of books and culture into that teenage brain. All in all, we're a great twosome, even if she does think I'm a big loser:)


8. Back to the Grind. The sewing machine grind that is. It's the hobby that I love to hate. I find it utterly consuming, with me chained to my sewing machine or patternmaking tools for hours at end. And yet, at the end of the day, the devotion is worth it as there is nothing in the world like creating something and being proud of it. I'm into vintage reproductions these days and my latest project has me making a late 1800s inspired military jacket. I'm also quite proud of the vintage-inspired apron that I recently made for a pregnant friend.





9. Catching up with Old Friends. The old rhyme goes, "Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold." I made some amazing new friends in LA, but the ones on this coast have been here for the long haul. They've helped me move, picked up my pieces when I was falling apart, and been a good shoulder to lean on when I needed it. I'm thankful for these guys, and incredibly blessed in my friendships.

10. Back to Work. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to going back to work. Can't imagine why? Well, it means I get to put a little more money in the ol' bank account which means I can continue my travels-- and hopefully visit my new friends again.