Life...and otherwise

I didn't post about how we weathered the ice storm last month because quite honestly I was a highly functioning anxious wreck during the whole thing.   And I hated admitting that to you.  But there it is.   The stuff going on in Japan reinforced all that anxiety about how frail life is and how no matter how OCD I am about preparing for the worst - and believe me, I really prepare - sometimes earthquakes happen, tsunamis sweep your town and family away, children die.   

I hate it. 

Unfortunately my hating it didn't make it go away. 

Damn.

So I went to the studio and tackled a custom dye job that I'd been fretting over.  Focus helps me not worry.   To reward myself for finishing that job, and staying away from Japan on the internet,  I took some pictures of the dyeing. 

It's all irrelevant in the eternal scheme of things.   I know that.   But it made me feel better yesterday.

Here's my favorite photo from the day.

My favorite part of dyeing is the jars at the end of the day.

Luxuries we don't live without

Greg Sullivan hits the nail on the head again.  Maine Family Robinson: 10 Luxuries We Don't Do Without:  read the whole thing...   and then ask yourself:  What are 10 luxuries you don't do without? Our list is a lot like his: 

1.  Hot water:  What Greg said.

2.  Sleep:  We go to bed when we get tired and get up when we've had enough.

3.  Good food:  A lot of it we grow ourselves.

4.  Good books:  Library, library, library.

5.  No plastic anything at the dinner table:  Yes, cloth napkins.

6.  Two meals a day together as a family:  Every day.

7.  Privacy: We know how to be by ourselves.

8.  A symphony of bird song:  But you have to shut up and listen.

9.  Plenty of real work to do:  When you live out here, there's no need for a gym membership.  

10.  Self-sufficiency:  No one else gets the credit or the blame or the control.  

Ice

Some amazing and wonderful things happen only during conditions that are really uncomfortable.   I try to remember that when life gets extreme.