The joke's on me!

The point of my post yesterday was not "poor me, no time" but rather my capacity for self-delusion -- that I would imagine a whole empty day stretching out before me, when really what I had was about three hours.

You'll note, however, that I imagined I could get quite a lot done with those three hours. In truth, by the end I had a reasonably clean kitchen, a couple of loads of laundry, and this shirt cut out & two pockets made but not applied. No weaving, no writing, no shirt for George to wear today. By the end of the afternoon I had gotten more done on the shirt while the children played with their friends, but I'm still halfway through the collar. And really, that's a reasonable amount to have accomplished. The amount I thought I could get done is the real joke.


So today I'm trying to be more reasonable in what I expect of myself. But I sure would like to finish that shirt -- and I need to do the writing project, and my loom is calling to me. If I want it badly enough, surely I can squeeze it in?

A day to myself?

My children are in two different school systems. My son, just finishing second grade, is in the local public school, while my daughter still goes to the preschool that is really a laboratory for the education students at the local college. The preschool is on the university schedule, and shuts down before finals so the ed students can study, so she has been out of school for several weeks already.

Today her summer session begins. Today is also my son's penultimate day of second grade. So yesterday, when Charlotte's best friend's mother invited her over for the afternoon, my first thought was, "Hooray! A day to myself!"

And I could use one. I am just a wee bit over committed right now. I have a couple of writing projects due in the next few days; I am weaving my first-ever commission (!), also due shortly; and I am making George a shirt which he would really like to wear to school tomorrow. And there's the laundry and the disgraceful state of the bathrooms -- I've been spending a lot of time gardening, so the house has gone to pieces. And speaking of the garden, while the most urgent tasks (transplanting) have been finished, there's lots more that needs to be done asap if the plants are going to have the strength & root development to survive the hell that is July and August around here. Not to mention some brick-laying projects I have in mind, and the capping & removal of the old gas grill, and talking to roofing contractors, and, and, and....

So I was really excited about a whole day to myself. Then this morning I really thought about it. Here's my day of wide-open possibilities:

7-7:40 breakfast for kids & husband, packing lunches, shoving people out the door.
8:40 - 9:20 taking Charlotte to preschool
11:10 leave to pick Charlotte up at 11:30, taking picnic lunch along (looks like rain, can we eat in van?)
noonish: after picnic, drop her off at friend's house, get home about 12:30
2:40 leave to get George, then Charlotte. Probably too rainy for park -- ask friends over?

And so my Day to Myself has really dwindled to two chunks of time:
9:20 - 11:10 (minus time to make lunches)
12:30 - 2:40

It's nothing to sneeze at, but I had better use it wisely. Writing in morning, shirt in afternoon, weaving tomorrow? Weaving in morning, shirt in afternoon, writing while kids play with friends? (ooh, that won't work!) Shirt in morning, writing in afternoon, weaving while kids play with friends? Shirt in morning, interrupted by mad dashes to computer as I think of something to write, and then some weft fondling on my way back to sewing machine? I think my breakfast eggs must be done by now, so I'm signing off. Wish me a productive use of my day!

PS Must remember to pick up ice cream for Cloverbuds fishing / root beer float party tonight or kids will be very disappointed.

Grrrr!

Once again I have wound a perfectly fine warp and then introduced tangles while sleying/threading. It comes from putting multiple threads in a single dent without any way to keep them straight.

Fortunately this warp is pearl cotton which could stand the strain & should be just fine. But I think I need to try warping back to front.