Monday, February 5, 2024

A Slow Sunday

 

One of my bird mugs for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Tuesday

Yesterday brought an atmospheric river to our region, and this time it rightly was called like that. The torrential downpours started Saturday night at 11:00 pm and wouldn't stop until Sunday night, except for very short breaks. But worse than the rain was the gusty wind that was near hurricane force and only started to lose strength on Sunday night. We kept inside the entire day, spending a very slow Sunday and every now and then watching the rain and wind playing wildly in the garden. Thankfully we didn't lose anything, but there were several fallen trees across the county and also some flooding that closed roads. We also didn't lose power as so many others did.

Our primary election will be on March 5th (Super Tuesday), so after breakfast I thoroughly read our Voters Information Guide and learned more about the candidates for State Assembly and the Superior Court Office. There are also propositions and measures to consider. I had already made up my mind about the presidential candidate and the candidate for the US Senate.

The evening before I had made a dough for a whole wheat bread that proved overnight and was ready to be put into the oven. This is our go-to bread when I bake because it's easy to make, and I always enjoy the warmth and the scent of freshly baked bread spreading throughout the house.

The day before I had recevied an order for baby socks in my Etsy shop, so I packed them up, ready for shipping. My goal is plastic-free packaging - used tissue paper, baker's twine, cardboard envelopes. I always include a little stamped and handwritten thank you card and a small Moo business card with my photography.

Sometime last year I took some of the taster lessons - I can't remember whether this one was for Kaleidoscope or Life Book. Anyway, this was a lesson by Melanie Rivers whose style I like very much. I never finished what I had started and completely forgot what she was doing even though I had jotted down a couple notes. So I just did my own thing which is more fun after all. I experimented with watercolor on a textured gessoed background and liked the result. The dark background color I mixed with Phthalo Blue and Burnt Umber. I need to put down a second layer because it looks a bit chaotic, but I really like this rich color.

Dorothy wrote a post on her blog The Frog & PenguInn about loneliness in which she mentioned the organisation Letters Against Isolation. Here, volunteers write letters or cards to seniors who live in Assisted Living or Nursing Homes or are served by Meals on Wheels. LAI was started by two sisters during the pandemic when seniors were very much isolated and couldn't receive any visitors. After reading Dorothy's post I went to LAI's website to learn more. Now I have signed up to participate in writing letters/cards to seniors and on this slow Sunday I prepared my first cards for this. Thank you, Dorothy, for writing about this important organisation.

Finally, after having made a cup of hot chocolate for both the Geek and myself in the afternoon, I settled on our couch and continued knitting this bird hat. Last fall I had a good number of them in different color combinations in the shop, but they completely sold out before Christmas and I didn't have the time to knit more until now. The color stranding looks challenging, but isn't that difficult at all. 

Do you sometimes have slow Sundays (or any other day of the week) and do you enjoy them? I loved our slow Sunday and felt very relaxed and happy at the end of it.





21 comments:

Violetta said...

We sagte schon Heinz Erhardt mal.....so´n scheiß Wetter, da bleib ich zuhaus...oder war es doch Otto Waalkes?...
Und ein langsamer Sonntag hat ja hin und wieder auch was.
Gute Zeit und alles Liebe
Violetta

My name is Erika. said...

I've seen photos and news clips of the weather in California. My daughter and her husband were in Southeern Cal. and I am glad they flew home Saturday before the storm hit. I'm glad to hear everything is ok with you. I think your bird mug is fabulous, and a lazy Sunday is never a bad thing. I hope you stay safe through the rest of this storm. Loving your journal spread and your hats. That's a great pattern. Have a super T day Carola. hugs-Erika

Iris Flavia said...

Hurricane klingt gruselig, aber ich hoffe es regnetvhier Abends mal!
Ich werde waehlen, wenn es so weit ist, aber ohne Ueberzeugung.
Das Brot duftet bis hierher! Und die Socken sind niedlich. Stimmt, ich probiere auch lieber selbst, als mir Tutorials anzugucken, da fehlt mir die Gedult.
Gute Idee mit den einsamen Rentnern.
Langsam ist immer gut!

Tom said...

...I particularly like your poppy gift cards!

Lorrie said...

The storms in California are on the news here. A lazy Sunday can be a very good thing. I had one this week as I wasn't feeling that great and decided to do precisely nothing. I did make lunch for the two of us, but that's it. Took two little naps, read, and lazed around. I have much more energy today.
I hope the next wave of atmospheric river is not as severe. Your photo cards are gorgeous. Do you get them printed through MOO, too?

roentare said...

That painting you did was surreal. Love the pink featherly look

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I don't see a lot of news now that IL cut the cable cord, but I did see the weather in CA. Creeks overflowing and cars under water. I am glad you are safe and didn't lose power.

Your bird mug is charming and adorable. It's a beauty.

How sweet of you to join that worthy club and send cards to those in assisted living. I think that is a very worthy cause and I might ask my no name group if we can do the same here. We are always looking for projects of some kind.

Love those bird hats. They are adorable. Thanks for sharing your lazy Sunday and your bird mug with us for T this Tuesday, dear Carola.

Valerie-Jael said...

Hi Carola, sounds like a scary day! Glad you were safe and able to do some nice things, the cards are gorgeous. Good idea to send them to old people, too. That sounds funny, I belong to the old people, but I always keep busy. Happy T Day, hugs!

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You are a good person, Carola, from every vantage point, and it is a pleasure to know you. Stay safe from those atmospheric rivers, a term unfamiliar to most of us until recently, and now part of our daily lexicon. Weather patterns across the globe are changing in myriad ways. Two days ago I found Snowdrops blooming in the garden. Unheard of in the early days of February. Stay well and sat safe - hugs from Ontario - David

Mae Travels said...

I love the bird hat! Perfect for birders.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Jeanie said...

The hat is darling! And some very lucky seniors are going to be elated to get your special cards. I've been thinking of you and all in Cali with those storms. Some of the video I've seen has been shocking and frightening. I'm glad that so far is so good.

Empire of the Cat said...

I haven't heard anything about your storms but that's probably because we are getting hit too so that's taking up all the news cycles. I did have a slow Sunday last week, stayed in my PJs all day, pottered about, did some crochet, ate some soup in front of the stove, it was lovely, and then my house started leaking and that ruined it lol.

I can tell you exactly what class that was - Reflected Moon by Melanie Rivers, Life Book 2024 Taster in September 2023. She used a reference photo of a girl in a white dress. I like yours with the pink dress. Those little baby socks are so cute too and I love your hats. I used to do a lot of knitting like that with the colour stranding, mostly to make words, but I don't really knit now only crochet. Bread looks delicious! Happy T Day! Elle/EOTC xx

DVArtist said...

Glad you are safe. The storms are horrible. I do like your cup, your and your bread looks amazing. I too ship things in tissue and paper. No plastic. Your painting is so pretty. I love the colors. What a fabulous idea about writing to people in homes. I am gong to look this up. The bird hat is lovely. Well done my friend.

Let's Art Journal said...

How wonderful is that mug - love it! The bird hat is beautiful, you did an amazing job ☺️. Take care and wishing you a very Happy T Tuesday ❤️. Hugs, Jo x

Lowcarb team member said...

News of the atmospheric river in your region has featured in our UK news.
Pleased to read that you are safe.

I quite often enjoy a slow Sunday.
I like your rooster mug.

All the best Jan

Lisca said...

We haven’t had rain for years but next week there will be clouds so I’m hoping for some rain. We’d probably be dancing in the rain when it finally comes!
Slow Sundays? No, never. Sundays are always busy days. My husband was a worship leader in the church. There would be setting up and practicing before the service and putting the gear away after the service as well as some socialising. Now he is no longer with us, I’m still quite busy with church on Sundays.
I like how you pack your Etsy stuff. And such cute socks! The hat is great too.
Erika had been writing about the elections too. Very interesting.
Happy belated T-Day,
Lisca

Veronica Lee said...

Slow Sundays are a rare treasure in today's fast-paced world.
Love that bird hat.
Writing letter to seniors is such a selfless act of kindness, Carola.

Hugs and blessings

Teresa said...

Me parece precioso lo de las tarjetas. Tus gorros de pájaros son muy bonitos. Besos.

CJ Kennedy said...

Semi-retired, we have a lot of slow days that we savor. Glad to hear you didn't have a lot of damage from the atmospheric river storm. We saw images of it on the news. 😱 Cute mug and bird hat. The baby booties are adorable and your packaging so thoughtful. Happy T Day

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Carola, how wonderful to read that because of my post on loneliness and mentioning the Letters Against Isolation that you will be sending cards and notes as well. I am sure anyone receiving your wonderful photos will be most appreciative. I am handwriting messages on note cards and thankfully was able to get a good supply from donations to the senior center where we regularly play dominoes. My artwork is nowhere near your quality, but I try to include a bit and write in different colored pens for variety.

As for your questions about a lazy Sunday, we really like just taking a walk or drive and/or spending time at home. It depends on the weather and if anything else is going on. Enjoying hot chocolate is always a good thing, even when it's not Sunday!

Barwitzki said...

Liebe Carola, jetzt bin ich etwas in Rückstand gekommen mit dem Bloggen.
Dein Brot sieht wunderbar aus. Ich habe meines aus dem Ofen gezogen und gleich noch Rosinenbrötchen gebacken... mit Weißmehl. Zwei Teile habe ich mit Marmelade gefüllt, die gibt es zum Kaffeetrinken. Mein mail ist nice@barwitzki.de falls du Muse hast.
Deine Stickmütze ist herrlich. Ich liebe dieses Muster mit den Vögeln. Wunderbar. Ich bin in den letzten Zügen mit meinem Ufo-Stricken - es ist eine Jacke... Und ich habe ein Nähprojekt im Kopf... es muß noch reifen...
Gestern hatten wir warmes Fönwetter. Es waren 13 Grad und herrlicher Sonnenschein, die Vögel haben gezwitschert - es war fantastisch, mein Mann und ich, wir nahmen eine schöne kleine Wanderung. Es war eine herrliche Auszeit, denn heute ist es wieder grau und naß... das richtige Sonntagswetter, um Projekte zu bearbeiten... mein Mann baut in seiner Werkstatt und ich stricke und höre "Die Brüder Karamasow" von Dostojewski, gelesen von Oliver Rohrbeck. Eine Umarmung für dich.
Viele Grüsse zu dir von Viola