No Shortcuts Here

i'm feeling stagnant 

no shortcuts to get going

hard work is ahead

(" Shortcut" is the prompt this week at OSI)

Yes- I am feeling quite stagnant lately and I don't like that feeling.  Could be the weather.  It's been such a hot and sweaty summer, I don't even like to be outside anymore (and I am hot and sweaty naturally inside).  It could also be the  Summer routine- or should I say lack of routine.  Don't get me wrong- I LOVE my summers but sometimes the lack of routine starts to take its toll on a person who actually kind of enjoys a routine.  It's been a great summer- somewhat weird with the impending college departure, but in the last 6 weeks I have stayed in 5 different hotels in 4 different states and that doesn't include the visit to our place in Michigan; I feel like I have literally been living out of my Vera Bradley duffel bag.  So I haven't just been sitting around.  And I've gotten back into blogging- that was a goal of mine.  But  in other areas  I just feel like I'm stuck.  One of those is my creativity.  I love my cross stitching; that's not going anywhere soon.  But I have a WHOLE room in the basement dedicated to art supplies and stamping and various paper crafts.  I still have the interest in doing all that and still get excited seeing new ideas and techniques and such, but I can not get myself to physically sit down and create and it is really starting to bug me! But I think  need a jump start to get going back into this, as well as a couple other areas of life as well.  I feel like the whole college thing has taken an emotional toll on me and has contributed to this feeling too. I feel so distracted and discombobulated- feeling one way and out of the blue an overwhelming wave of sadness sweeps over me.This is not fun.  I am hoping that with the upcoming school year (which is approaching WAY TOO fast), I will find the routine that I need and make time for working in my craft room and re-discovering the creativity that I need. So as much as there is such change coming  in my world, it may well just be what I need to get back to where I need to be; at least I am hoping that is the case.

Speaking of the drought... Here are a few pictures from the bike trail (on one of the few occasions I have even been OUT riding this summer- I prefer the basement bike these days due to the heat and humidity). There are swampy areas on both sides of the trail.  It's actually labeled as a "preserve" and it's a great place to pull over with my camera and take pictures of all the wildlife and birds and foliage.  Unfortunately, on the one side the water is almost completely gone, and on the other, the water level has gone down quite a bit as a result of the severe drought.  The pictures of the heron are obviously  from the side with water.

 The pictures below are from last summer and they are all from the side that currently has no water.  Devastating!