music | BulgingButtons

June 24, 2019
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Hey Google, Thanks for the Music

I’m not someone who always has music playing. I don’t keep the tv on for background noise. I like quiet. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like music and tv. I do. I just don’t always think of turning them on, since quiet is my default setting.

Well, lately that’s been changing, at least in one room of my home. In there I have a Google Home device (I’m sure there’s an exact model name, but I don’t have a clue what it is). It was a gift from my sweetheart so I could have my favorite photos scrolling while I work, since my last two digital frames have given out on me. It’s a thoughtful gift, but really the photos don’t look that great, or at least I haven’t quite figured it out yet.

What I have figured out is that I can say, “Hey Google, play Bob Marley” and it does. “Fine Young Cannibals.” “Pretty in Pink Soundtrack.” “Grateful Dead.” “Drake White.” “Aretha Franklin.” They’re all in there. Well, not exactly in there, but available. Today I was in a Monkees mood. It lasted about three songs, but Google doesn’t care how frequently I change my mind. “Housemartins.” “Hoodoo Gurus.” “The Alarm.” Google has no problem reaching into my past and pulling up the soundtrack. Thanks, Google.

February 3, 2017
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To Everything There is a Season

Of course those words aren’t mine, but I was reminded of them the other day when I was lamenting my current creativity slump. I was talking to an old friend (not that she’s old, the friendship is, as friendships go) and I told her that I hadn’t done anything creative in a while.

We are long-time quilt buddies. Years ago we met in a local quilting group and we clicked. A small group of us became good friends and took on a few fun projects together. We met at each other’s homes, visited with each other outside of our regular quilt group meetings, and planned outings. It was a fun time that unfortunately came to a close when I had a kid and several of the girls moved away. Things change.

My friend and I (and several of the others) kept up on Facebook, but we hadn’t actually spoken in years. I wanted to have one of my old quilt tops finished and she does them professionally, so I gave her a call. It was wonderful.

So silly, I thought making a phone call would be a big deal, but it wasn’t. It was easy. We talked and laughed and made plans to get together, which we did. I regret not calling her sooner, but I won’t beat myself up about it. Gotta keep moving forward, after all.

Back to her wisdom, though. She said something that stuck with me; something I found comforting (was I in need of comfort? maybe). She said that it’s okay to be in a fallow season. Nothing grows all the time. Of course. In nature there’s an ebb and flow, so it stands to reason that a person has those types of cycles as well.

So maybe I’m in a fallow season, but I think it might be drawing to a close. I’m starting to feel the desire to create again, and I’m glad. I LIKE creating, just for the sake of the doing. Having a nice finished product is a bonus, as far as I’m concerned.

Yes, I love the quilts I’ve made (most of them, anyway) and the scrapbooks I’ve completed put a smile on my face, but the doing is what I enjoy the most, or as least I have, in the past. I hope to recapture some of that feeling, after all it would justify at least some of the goodies I’ve collected over the years. In the meantime, I can be satisfied with the knowledge that nothing grows all the time, and for that I thank my friend.