on the move: destination midwest

packing began early last week... and didn't stop until the move. the move, from packing up my apartment to setting up in northwest indiana, was documented in 300 images and 1 video. i've selected about 12% of those images to post here:

the living room was the destination for everything packed. here, all my things waited to be taken down the stairs and thrown into a 4x8 uhaul trailer.

chicken was very confused about things being moved around.

all of my things beginning to be piled into one big lump.

my side of the bookshelf emptied.

my "to do" lists sitting on my pillows and all prepared to leave then ext morning.

just before everything moved out.

one last look back at my building: the beige one just after crash bang boom, third floor.

chicken was not amused. he and george were the last to leave the apartment. chicken's carrier was positioned in the middle of the two front seats so that we could get him out if we needed to. he was bothersome and spent most of the ride with my sweatshirt over the front of his cage so that he couldn't see us. he ended up sleeping most of the time. george was on the floor in the back, between my plants. we heard no complaints from him.

4th and south, philadelphia: waiting to get out.

one last look at william penn from 676.

and the cira center waved goodbye as dad was trying to get the gps on his phone to work.

goodbye philadelphia art museum. too bad you aren't as cool as chicago's art museum, but you look nice after your restorations.

one last view of the skyline from the schuylkill expressway.

manayunk...

i think this sign was supposed to say something... oh well.

our exit in indiana!

it's 3am. we pull into the exit and there's only this automated machine that refused to take quarters.

and yet it wanted fifty cents...

home!

and would you look at that: the trailer is still attached. way to go...

we didn't start unpacking until we got some sleep. i took refuge in my sister's bed. this was my sister's room while we were growing up. the day i turned 18 and left for college, my sister took over my room and the room pictured here has looked like this ever since.

it took 4 hours to load everything in philly and 45 minutes to unload into my dad's house. my stuff filled the living room and the kitchen.

my mirror while i was growing up... now in my sister's room.

we were to have dinner with my grandparents on sunday afternoon. this is the little blue house at the entrance to their drive way. their property used to be part of an old farm and this is the only building that is left of the old estate.

my grandparents' house a couple acres back.

and now... my room set up. the purple color is quite a change and looks this color during the day. at night it's softer and i like it better, but it's girly and my stuff makes everything feel like home.

and while uploading these pictures this morning, i heard chicken meowing somewhere in the house....

seasons of harvesting

the weather has been doing its best to cool down and i'm beginning to look forward to sweaters, fall jackets, and the autumn leaves falling to the ground in wonderful burnt colors of the season. pumpkins litter the windows and stoops of the city, smiling their toothy grins to passerbys reminding us all that the harvest has come, holloween is approaching, and that if we want to keep warm we should ready the nearest aphgan, cups of hot cocoa, and maybe even someone to cuddle with. for those reasons, fall is my favorite season.

on these cool days the air is crisper than the mugginess of the summer, leaving me feeling ever refreshed, ready to take on projects... or sleep. however, with the evening sun forcing its glow into my window, i cannot go to sleep early, but take refuge at my desk, with my lovely macbook in front of me and the furry kitty sleeping at my feet.


the chair that did not get sat on for a number of years got a new seat this past week. the chair came from my grandmother and was linked with her rolltop desk from the time that i was very little. even in its unusable state, i couldn't part with it.


with the weather cooling, the air conditioner has left my window free to be open and has made chicken a very happy cat as he loves to explore the rooftops of our block.

since my roommate has left the country for another during the next couple weeks, i took the first of the next couple lonely weekends to finish a dress that i began to make during my third year of college... a significantly long time ago. three button holes and approximately 10 more stitches and i'll finally be done.

bad news is that i'm not so sure i like the dress anymore. on the bright side, while finishing the dress this weekend, i managed to make a shirt with fabric i was going to use for the dress and that came out to be adorable.

quills and cats in bags

a very dear friend of mine has gone away for a while and chicken has been so upset about it that to cheer him *cough(me)cough* up, he got into a bag and i enjoyed the pun that walked around the living room making all sorts of noises. and the letters that i write are also a condolence of sorts, as they keep me company as well.

tickle, a tasket, one more in the basket

more tickles taking shape on the home front...  1.6667 born every month at this rate which makes the gestation period approximately 18 days.  i did that math after waking up at 5 o'clock this morning to say goodbye to my apartment guest whom chicken showered with a million cat hairs as a less than pleasant welcome.  with my guest went the pink inclined tickle to her intended home.  i think she came out very nicely, even if she is acrylic.

her turning out so well and my awakeness this morning inspired me to finish the wee tickle that i've been putting off finishing.

i might try my hand at making a different kind of doll today... if i can get the intern awake.  i may just have to use bribery if i can find the tuna.

arsenic and old acrylic

a new tickle takes shape with the help of acrylic yarn.  i hate acrylic yarns, preferring cotton and wool, but as i cannot find the 100% cotton yarn in pink, i have no other choice at this venture.  apollo doesn't think i should worry so much about it, as the yarn plays just as well as anything else.  this tickle has an intended home, so at least one of them will have found an owner.  as for the rest of the tickle gang... they are amusing themselves in an old milk crate, safe from chicken's (apollo) ever growing interest.

i didn't get half as much done today as i had wanted, even if my "to do" list has been getting checked off.  after a weekend out of philadelphia to the very green country side broken up by a day at the beach in rehobeth, delaware i should have made a greater attempt at these things i need to get done... such as getting a job.  even if it's not for lack of effort on my part, there is always more effort to be made and chins to be kept up.  well, one chin.  if i have more than one chin, then my worries are far worse off.