Whirlwind Tours

I'm in a manic phase, spinning from one project to another but unable to finish anything. I love the energy of these phases; I hate the inability to focus or concentrate, and the feeling that I have to hurry, hurry, hurry to get everything done before I crash. It doesn't help that I've taken on too much at my job (as usual, I'm interested in the cutting edge projects, but managers have yet to catch up and see exploration & research as a valuable activity; instead, they want to see results--a new product!--yesterday).

I took Friday off so that I could step back, take a deep breath, and not think about my job, but instead focus on what I consider my work--those activities that challenge me and make me feel fulfilled, like drawing, journaling, quilting. I enjoyed the day off, but never did get my job off my mind. I did manage to create a padfolio for my daughter (unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it to her). These are quick and fun, and I would have made more this weekend except that I ran out of peltex.

Out of the scraps, I made this fabric "hidden treasure" box. It, too, was fun and easy, but now I have to figure out the treasure to hide inside. I want to add more embellishments to the outside, too.

Update on the wildlife situation: yesterday, we let the dogs out for their bathroom break (they're so bored in the house they've taken to chasing each other through it; I feel like my kids are little again: "stop running in the house! get away from that plant!"). DP noticed them sniffing at something and when she started yelling at them to get into the house, I ran to see what was up NOW. Turns out Ma & Pa were teaching the babies to fly. There are three little ones, and flight training is fascinating to watch. Ma & Pa sit on the fence and cheer the babies on; these little guys spend a lot of time hopping around the yard and occasionally beating their wings like crazy, lifting a few inches off the ground, before crashing into it again. The whole family finally managed to traverse the length of the backyard in this fashion, alternately cheering on, flapping, crashing, and hopping. When they reached the back fence, the little ones were relieved to realize they could perch on the fence railing that's 2 feet or so off the ground. One sat there and refused to move any further. This one managed to make it all the way to the top of the fence (though it took a while with all the fits and starts). I'm guessing the process is made more difficult by Ma & Pa having done such a great job feeding these little guys; they're quite chubby, as you can see.