All in all; It was a Very Good Day

Today was a very long day. I got up really early (5:30 a.m.) because it's the second Thursday of the month and that means it's Gourd Meeting day. Usually we meet at the Ag Center, near the airport, but today was our Potluck lunch and workshop at Sylvia's house in Sacramento. This is always so much fun. There's lots of good food and something new to learn about gourds.., in a beautiful environment.., with friends.
But, this morning, I dragged myself out of bed, and went straight to the shower. My body was feeling all of it's 64 years. Yesterday was very busy too. I had to bake two desserts ; one for today and one for a meeting of the Amador Art Association last night. This evening our neighbor arrived to pick up a dozen eggs, he stayed for dinner and then I took off for my meeting. If I really wanted to whine I would add that Maggie's new medication for her painful arthritis made her incontinent all day and the water pressure decided to act up because we used too much well water the day before. But, whatever it was that brought on the fatigue, by this morning I felt like I was AN OLD LADY. The shower helped and so did coffee.., and breakfast.
I packed up GOURDO, the new puppet, all my things needed for the workshop and the dessert I had made..., picked some lavender and yarrow for Sylvia and left for the Valley. The day was lovely. We all had a wonderful time and had a really great lunch. Tomorrow I will post some photos and tell you about all the fun.
When I got home I was so tired that I took a nap; something I hardly ever do. The Prospector woke me up at 5:00 p.m. and said that it was dinnertime and "..,shouldn't we eat something." I got up and together we fixed dinner. Later, I realized that I had not turned on the computer all day and thought I better check the email to see if maybe I had won the CALIFORNIA LOTTERY or something. No such luck!
But there was something that "made my day". Susan, at Susabella's Creative Pursuits, sent me an award. She is the lady who had a give-a-way a while back and I won a beautiful pair of pearl earrings that she had made. Well, she sent me this award and I'm basking in the glow of it.
As hard as it can be, sometimes, to create blog posts, day after day, that are interesting and fun, it's very gratifying to have someone acknowledge what you do. It makes the writing of this blog just that much more worth the effort. It lifted the tiredness of the day a bit and made me smile with delight. Thank you so much Susan. You really did make my day. A friend of Susan's explained the award like this....

"I designed this award to celebrate art in the blogs and to honor the value of friendship, sisterhood, sharing and caring. It is to be awarded to the gifted, accomplished, eloquent and talented blogger whose friendship and influence inspire us to do our best. That I named it after Bella Sinclair is because she epitomizes all of these things. She is an inspiration to many of us."
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"I have chosen to symbolize this award with the Quercus lobata or Valley Oak. It is a simple and unadorned award but heavy on meaning. The Valley Oak is a large handsome tree with a stout and sturdy trunk and widely spreading branches that form a broad open crown. It can reach up to a height of 100 feet and a diameter of 4 feet, sometimes much greater. It is the largest of the western deciduous oaks and is a handsome and graceful shade tree."

Isn't that a California icon, the Valley Oak. What a great symbol for an award. I have been asked to pass this award on to someone else, so I want to give it to three bloggers that I think are deserving of this award....

*Roslyn, of Ros the Quilter for her beautiful gift of making quilts, her giving ways and her fortitude.

*Jan, of Little Pink Houses for her amazing energy, her artistic way of looking at something and making it into a work of art, her painting techniques and her quirky sense of humor that keeps me laughing.

and..., *Julie of Julie Whitmore Pottery who "speaks to the earth" like I do and and makes the most amazingly beautiful pottery I've ever seen.

I hope that this award makes you feel as good as it made me. Life is about living but it's so nice, once in a while, to have someone acknowledge your efforts.