More tree blossoms from the back yard.  Not sure what the name of this tree is but it's really quite beautiful.  And I love the green of early spring.  It's light and airy compared to the green of late summer which is much darker.

It has been sunny out here but not too warm.  Although the lack of water is really devastating.  One item that brought that home was how low Lake Powell was.

Lake Powell in Nevada is so low that it is in danger of not being able to produce electricity.  So Utah/Wyoming is letting one million acre feet of water from the Flaming Gorge Green River Water Dam flow to the Colorado River and down to Lake Powell.

While we are floating away in the Northeast area, the west is suffering from both an extreme drought and practically no snow from the past winter.  This is going to affect large areas of farming and industry.  Water conservation is highly needed.

I enjoyed a weekend of crafting.  I found that I had enough batting to make all the 'bricks' I could from the fabric I brought with me.  I did forget the gray thread so I wound up using white.   Here are six that I've finished...

I have six more ready and can make about a dozen more from the fabric.  I will have to piece some of the batting together for a few of the bricks, but that's not a problem.

I'm also working on a new journal.  This one is going to be a writing journal only.  I have all the pages cut, the major elements on each page (Pockets, tucks, etc.) and the cards made.  Now I can have the fun of going back and decorating each page.  

I am making four signatures each with eight decorated pages as well as some plain pages for writing.  Here's a couple of pages in process...

You can see that the basics are done...now I get to enjoy decorating the pages.

I'm looking at this as a kind of vacation for me...reading, walking, sightseeing, crafting and that's it.  No cleaning (other than laundry), no worrying about what to make for dinner, no work in the yard...just a time for doing what I want and enjoying life!

Speaking of vacations, I've noticed that more and more folks are talking about staycations.  With gas prices high (as well as everything else) folks are finding that they do not have the extra funds.  

And you know what, staycations can be fun for all ages if you do one thing...make sure it is a vacation and not a time to work on household to-do lists.  Depending on your family's make-up find local activities that work for you.  Food festivals, car shows, local fairs as well as local attractions.  Plan picnics, hike in areas close to home, find places to swim.  Do a little planning but basically find time for relaxation and fun, even in your own back yard.

That's it for now...have an absolutely wonderful day...

Talk with you tomorrow...