Middle of the night... can't sleep

 My brain clicked on at midnight. It's now 1:30 am and instead of tossing and turning I might as well do something. We read that turning on a screen isn't the best option, but here I am. There are still photos from Japan to share, art projects in progress, and many ideas floating about. Instead, I am thinking about December Gratitude journaling. Today is Thanksgiving and the thought of sharing thankfulness on only one day seems a little sad. I am thankful for each day and I think a month of expressing my gratitude during the coming days is a grand idea. Today is mini warm-up for what I hope to do for 31 days.

I am grateful for travel and new experiences. No - I didn't eat this, but I did eat some new things that others would not touch. The eel sushi wasn't something I need to eat again, but I tried it. On the other hand, the Sea Bream sushi was delicious. I also looked forward to the picked daikon radishes on the breakfast buffet each morning. 

Now back home, my meals seem a little boring. I'm still grateful for what's on my plate. I wonder how I can make my morning oatmeal glamorous?

Saturday, November 22, 2025 / Can't sleep

 I woke at about 11:30 pm. I certainly needed more rest, but by 1:30 am, I decided that the tossing and turning was getting me no where. I tried drinking a cup of tea, journaling a bit, and stitching on my sashiko jacket. Still no sleepiness in my body. Now - here I am. After some serious thought about my social media commitments, I realized that I really do like to blog. I'm just not good at a consistent flow. I had every intention of daily posts while in Japan, but, time would not allow. Besides, working on a phone instead of PC is very limiting. Do I try to "catch up", or just work at my speed and publish when I can. I vote for enjoying the process.

This is the inside cover of my little journal I worked on in Japan. This page was completed before leaving home, to hopefully encourage daily work. That didn't happen. I am getting together with friends for an art journaling morning this coming week. Will this be my project? Finish the journal before leaving in a short 2 weeks on another trip? Or just create papers and backgrounds for something else. 

Taffy was our first family pet while I was growing up. Her mother was from Japan!

I do like to smash china, cups, bowls, vases, etc. How fitting that a shard from a plate caught my eye to become a piece in my Japan Journal.

Quilt show 3

 I have been a fan of log cabin quilts for a long time. This one did not disappoint 

Quilt show 2

 I found the details to be interesting:

Note that the border is not the same on all four sides.

 

Yokohama Quilt Show

 Where do I start?!? The show was fabulous and I took over 500 photos. Let's just begin:

Fashion!

 Stumbled upon a fun exhibit in a textile district in Tokyo!

My favorite:

Fabric store

 During my first day in Tokyo, we went to an amazing fabric store. It had a great collection of fabric, notions. 

Indigo!

 Did some indigo dyeing today:

Travel!

 I'm leaving today for Japan. Actually, I left for LA on Sunday. Today is my 12 hour flight to Tokyo.  I was reflecting on other long flights - Israel was long, but broken up with a stop in Zurich.  Morocco was long. The drive to the Grand Canyon, back in '87 was my longest road trip. My goodness, I can't stay focused!

When i began prepping for a journal to work on during this trip, a friend suggested a daily haiku.  Great idea!

Alone in LA

Waiting for day break and flight

Distant land in mind

Dream

 A task in the Artist Way plan encourages dreams. I may be a quilter, stitcher, felter, surface designer, weaver, etc., but I am to explore my other dreams.  The day at Bishop Hill reminded me that working with clay has been in my dreams for ages.