It is very early morning here in perpetually gray Port Townsend. I just turned off the outside Christmas lights, well, at least half of them; left on last evening in a show of pure decadence. All through my childhood and well into my adult years. Christmas lights were never, ever left on overnight.

The Christmas tree, a noble spruce, way more noble than just in name, stands like an early holiday sentinel in the living room waiting for the storm that is Jacob to decorate it. I love the smell of a fresh tree but this year, I am enjoying the scent with just a hint of melancholy. In just a couple of short years, Jacob, my youngest child, my sweet last baby boy, will be leaving home for his adult adventures of college, work, travel and girls. There will be no one championing for a live tree, no young long, long arms to drape it in lights and ornaments. Change is in the air. I know it is an old song to sing but, time moves so quickly.

Knitting projects fill my basket by my leather chair all waiting to be finished as holiday gifts and stocking stuffers. Will I make it to the finish line? I don't know but however close I may come, each stitch was knit with love and thought of the person it was meant for. No more am I going to beat myself up for not finishing a project and Christmas can happen any day I give one of these finished gifts to someone who holds a close, close spot in my heart.

Anyhow, my warm bed and sleeping husband are softly calling to me and I think I will head on down the hallway and see if I can drift off to sleep in a land where children never leave you and your knitting is always done.

It is raining again outside and I can hear the thump pit patter of the water coming down the rainspout by the dining room window. The sound is at once a comfort and annoying. It can interrupt my thought process and distract me when I am drawing here in my comfy chair adjoining the dining room. I love to sleep to the sound of the rain. Last night's sleep was especially wonderful as we had soft new flannel sheets on the bed and newly fluffed pillows. All princess like, I slept very well.

The slowly dying and collapsing old ferry dock.

The old cannery building and walkway to the wave viewing gallery.

Looking over Pope Marine park to the Maritime Center.

Yesterday during a very quick sun break I strolled around downtown and had a few moments to myself. I took pictures around the wave viewing gallery and once again found my mind heading off into the clouds as I try and figure out a way to draw the water in both my paintings and on my charms. I am close to interpreting the water and its movement. Soon. Eyes are wide open but slowly shutting and I am approaching a sleep dream state. Good night.

Baby crow who knows he is so totally cute!

If you know anything about me, it is that I have a deep, crazy love for crows. I think they are smart, humorous and a kinship seems to have formed with them on my part. I make crow sounds back to them when I hear them deep in conversation with each other. They will carry on and speak back to me as if we are sharing all the deepest, darkest secrets of our souls or at the very least, of our day. I can not totally explain it but I accept them as some kind of friendship and mutual admiration society. I have only begin to explore my crow lust.

So on this cold, wet and occasionally clear day,  here I sit  in bed humming the " I'm so miserable I can't do anything blues ". I need a Thing One or a Thing Two to come and inspire my stomach flu to leave, leave, leave.

Thank goodness I have this week's Port Townsend Leader to read and a couple episodes of my guilty pleasure, Dancing with the Stars to watch. Sigh.... maybe more to follow later but if I have along bout of blog silence, you'll know where I am.

In forty five short minutes I will have moved forward into another year. I am turning 56 on this birthday. This golden birthday of being born in 1956 and turning 56. I am so many things all at once at the beginning of this fifty sixth year. I am fat. My chin is double, my hair much more gray, my feet less achy and my skin a little more lived in. I am delighted as I see the changes in myself both physical and mental. I like being older. I see wisdom in my gray hair, vision in my wrinkles, growth in the way I move through this lifetime. I am blessed because even as my body marches forth into my older years, I am still doing exactly what I love, being with the people I love and creating something from parts. I still am blessed to be able to draw and paint, knit and sew, craft and bead, silversmith and write. I am all that creativity brings me. All the joy that creativity inspires in me. I am a strong, visionary, fifty six year old woman ( 41 minutes and counting ) moving with love into my age. The things I have done are now the blessings in my life. My children are the jewels in the crown of my days, my artwork the velvet robes I drape myself in. Happy birthday me. I wonder what the twenty year old Lois would think of this Lois on her birthday. If only I knew then, what I know now... I'd be exactly here.

Growth as in solid, fantasy inspired trees.

Not quite fifty six and not wearing glasses.

Oh my! I almost missed my blogoversary today! Happy blog anniversary! I used to write all the time in journals, filling page after page of life as it lived me. Now, with this on line blog-journal, I write here. Maybe it is not as blunt as the writing would be if only I was reading my story but it is written nonetheless. Once in awhile, I even think about what I am going to write before I sit at the computer. It is amazing to me, this journey we all take from birth to death and all the days in between. I am a blessed and grateful woman that does what she loves to do and loves to pieces her family and friends. Here's to another year of adventures in life, a journey to self. Damn girl, let's have fun1

Lovely picture

Yes! Obama is president for four more years! Amazing! This night has been just amazing and I can breathe again! Thank you! Now, let's get to work and make our elected officials, all of them, work together for the betterment of ALL of us. America is good!