The Seasons Are Turning - Time To Start Design Work!

Autumn is most definitely in the air. My mornings are crisp - low 50's (10-14 C) and getting colder. My days stretch into the 70's (21-26 C), but not the oppressively-hot upper 80's and mid-90's (26-35 C) of summer. I'm seeing strawberries, raspberries and grapes in the store as featured fruits, along with the last of the summer's peaches. I'm looking through my wardrobe and choosing mid-weight clothing -  long-sleeved T-shirts, and long leggings instead of the shorter ones I wear in the warm months, and my daily run isn't a sweat-fest (at least, not nearly as much). 

Because of my osteopenia, I'm not allowed to do 
impact on my treadmill - so no running. I do, however, 
do fast walking - currently doing two miles in 
slightly more than 20 minutes. It gets my heart 
going in the mornings. After I meditate, I put on 
my exercise clothes and go into the den and work 
out for 30 minutes, then take my shower, grab 
my breakfast, and settle down at my computer to 
clear my emails and post my blog. Done, no later 
than 7:00 am. Now I'm trying to figure out how to 
envelope swimming back into my schedule. I miss 
my swimming pool time. 

Autumn is a comfortable season for me. It's a season of color and buoyant celebration - harvest time, canning time (although I do NOT do that at all), and time to wrap things up before the snows of winter shut everything down for a few months. I still have time before the end of Autumn and beginning of Winter, but that clock is ticking. 

Another photo from my neighborhood last 
year. I always love this tree. The one on the 
left, always turns bi-color. It turns 1/2 orange 
and stays 1/2 green/yellow. Every year it has 
this incredible duality. The forecasters are 
saying we'll have a very short Autumn this 
year because of our summer drought. I'll 
be sad to see the colors leave us so soon. 

It occurred to me yesterday, that aside from having chosen the centerpiece for this year's Solstice cards, I haven't done a darned thing to actually begin working on them. I'd better get in gear. It's September, and I want them in the mail by Thanksgiving (ideally), but absolutely no later than Winter Solstice. Some supplies might be harder to get, and I still haven't really made up my mind on design - only the central element. I think I'll have to take it along with me to work and do some serious contemplation. I can't go too complicated this year - I didn't start in July (I actually have started a couple of the designs I've done in the past in the early summer months!). 

I wish I could make something this lovely 
for my Winter Solstice cards, but this would 
require a lot of equipment I don't own and 
am not comfortable learning how to use. 
I can admire the design, though. It's a 
simply scrumptious card. 

I'm almost reluctant to get going on my Solstice cards, because it signifies the end of another year, and beginning of the next year. That's always a bit of a traumatic time - I don't like endings very much. However, I adore beginnings, so I have that to look forward to. 

I do a lot of work with stones and gemstones, and own a 
LOT of raw stone, as well as faceted gemstones of varying 
qualities. I love working with stone - it resonates with 
people and their eyes light up when they see one that 
calls to them. 

So, I am going to switch to a different set of earrings today (I tend to wear a pair for weeks, if they're comfortable), gather my card supplies up to take to the shop with me, and start some serious creative contemplation. I may not be able to design them quite the way I have been thinking, but they'll be wonderfully fun to work on nonetheless. Have an excellent, productive and creative day filled with happiness and love. I'll be at the Rock and Mineral Show tomorrow, and might have some photos to share on Monday (no guarantees - not all stone is worth photographs). I'm also going to look through some possible winter sweater patterns - I feel a need to take my knitting machine back out and play some more, now that I've lost so much weight, I don't fit into last year's sweaters very well any more. Have a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday.