I'm not a twit(ter)

Ok, I'm listening to the news and all the talking about twitter

Let me say here that while I consider myself pretty savvy about technology for an old broad, I do not Twitter

I also do not do text messaging on my cell phone

It's not that I think I couldn't

With the phone it's more a thing of no one I ever talk to on the phone (except my daughter) does texting either, so I can't justify the extra fee each month to have texting enabled on my phone. (Guess this shows a deplorable lack of techie friends)

As for twitter--

Let's say first that my computer is in the basement, and I go there every morning first thing and spend a couple of hours or so reading email and blogs and downloading any orders to be filled, etc.

After that, I go upstairs and I work on other things --- like sewing and beading and drawing and knitting --- well, you get the idea

So that whole idea of being right where the computer is and "tweeting" to people all day long is pretty strange, at least from the logistical point of it

I'm guessing this little piece of technology is just going to have to go on it's merry little way without my participation!

Music to my ears

I watched the president's speech last night.

This is a new experience for me. During the past 8 years I was interested in what was happening, but I couldn't stand to listen to the butchering of the English language and the outright lies that every presidential address was.

And during the times before that, frankly I was busy trying to juggle full time jobs and running a small business and being a good parent and was just too exhausted most of the time to pay attention.

Last night the president was back in his campaign style uplifting mode for the most part.

And for me, here is the line that gave me a real thrill:

"But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and our conscience long enough. So let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year."

And the oddest couple in the Senate, Orin Hatch and Ted Kennedy will be the standard bearers for this legislation.

And NEXT WEEK(!) the discussions begin.

I'm at odds with some other things that are still going on, but I have hope that part of the country's biggest nightmare (and, yes, my own) will at least have someone seriously working on it.

yes, it's music to my ears

About to become a statistic?

So it would seem.

I recently was notified that my current health insurance plan is probably going to be eliminating individual coverage in my area.

So I applied for another plan, and was turned down because as a woman of my age I take medication for a couple of health issues. Seems I don't fit their "insurable profile".

Programs for the folks that fit my age and "health issues" are available, but we're talking something with a $10,000 deductable and a $500 plus per month premium.

I don't qualify for Medicaid, I'm too young for Medicare

If my current insurance company truly does cut individual coverage here, I will be joining the millions that have no insurance, which means if I should have some serious medical problem, it's just going to be "too bad for you"

health care reform can't come fast enough

Official Dog Duties

It's been pretty nice the last couple of days (after a Saturday full of fog and cold) such is the joy of living in the mountains!

Our dog has assigned herself to an official duty.

Every morning after breakfast, she and the DH take the bucket from the kitchen out to the compost bin (she'll sit at the back door and wait for him to come from the kitchen with it).

Later in the day she'll go out from time to time and make sure no squirrels are helping themselves to any "tasty treats" that she can't get to.

It's good for a labrador to be busy -- it keeps them out of trouble!

Snow and Seeds

It snowed last night.

We were only supposed to get a "dusting" but it was more than that.

The last little snow wasn't enough to even shovel, but this one was.

You just can't ever tell how much snow you'll get!

The seeds arrived yesterday.

Mmmmmmmm, garden on the hoof, so to speak, and by extension, lots of good fresh veggie meals toward the end of summer and hopefully enough tomatoes to can.

The plain white packages at the right are the Burpee seeds --- all very business like and such, but the other ones are from Baker Creek, and the packages are a lot more interesting and colorful.

I ordered two more seed catalogs this week --- blame it on Martha Stewart and the show she had earlier in the week talking about gardens --- even if we don't order from them this year, they will be a good resource for next.

Making hay while the sun shines

We live in an area that gets snow, and we're in snow season right now, but for the last week or so it's been pretty nice -- no snow, so warm in fact, that even in the back yard that never sees the sun, almost all the snow is melted.

We decided to take advantage of the brief week of spring-like weather and do some garden preparation

Last fall, before the first snow, the DH built the wood frame for our compost "heap".

Originally we were just going to use an area along the back fence where we could start with a hole and work from there, but we have a dog.

A big, black lab that thinks anything that ever passed through the kitchen in any form should be eaten

(why is it that dogs have a very keen sense of smell, but they'll eat anything --- leading to many a dietary indiscretion!)

but I digress

Shortly after the wood frame was built, the weather got too cold to even paint it, so it had been sitting on the back patio with a blue tarp over it since.

This week, it was warm enough. So the DH put a coat of paint on all of the wood surfaces (something not really required, but it does extend the life of the wood, especially when it's outdoors).

Then yesterday we wrapped the chicken wire around the outside, fastened it all down with heavy duty staples and carried it out to it's assigned spot in the yard.

This morning I put in the first deposit -- coffee grounds, orange peel and the remains of some strawberries that had been ignored long enough in the fridge to begin the transformation into some sort of alcholic beverage -- the dog is still trying to figure out how to get to it --- pacing around the pen, sniffing, looking longingly at those "goodies"

Mission Accomplished!!

and just in time --- tomorrow we're supposed to get a boat load of snow

I can't take it any more

the hate mail that is

All during the election my inbox was filled with nasty, lie filled hate mail about our new president ---- from people who are either "distant" relatives or supposedly friends

During the last 4 or 5 years I have become something of a political junkie. When we lived in California my views were considered to be middle of the road to nearly conservative. Now that I live in Colorado, I'm considered to be a flaming liberal --- and my views have not changed.

This morning I went through my email and found yet another one of those nasty emails -- I snapped --- I sent back a one line reply -- "please don't send me any more of this hate mail"

the letter in question came from a cousin of my mother's, and I'm risking family feuds, but I just don't want to hear it any more

we need to stop the way business has been done with hate speach and spreading of lies and move on to working together to fix the truly horrible mess our country is in

we need safe roads and bridges
we need new renewable power sources
we need responsible health care

so much to do and so much is being wasted on just being mean

geeesh!

no, what do I REALLY think

about health care in this country, that is

On this blog have been some of my larger "rants" on this subject, and I have to say, this may not be one of them, but I just need to "get it out"

It's been a loooonnnngggg week

My dad was supposed to get a biopsy done this week on a "swelling" around his voice box. Turns out the specialist had actually wanted him to have this done back in October, but neglected to clearly communicate that information to my parents at the time.

Then, when the specialist sent his little report to their "primary care" doctor, it just went into the file, and the primary care doctor never asked them if the biopsy had been taken care of either.

Oh yes, and the biopsy didn't get done this week either because my dad is in the hospital with pneumonia, and now they want to wait until he recovers from that.

And then there is the medication issue.

A while back the doctor prescribed a medication for my dad to aid in his digestion (since his last cancer surgery he has had issues with this). Problem is, the medication they prescribed induces Parkinsonian-like symptoms, that can become permanent if you stay on the medication.

So, one of the doctors told my parents that there is a medication that does everything BUT the side effects. But it's not available in the U.S. After several MONTHS of dealing with the Canadian pharamacy and trying to get an acceptable prescription from the doctor, my sister recently discovered that the "no side effects" medicine is available in Great Britian --- OVER THE COUNTER!!!!!

Insert appropriate swearing here!!!

I've said it before, and I'll keep on saying it until it gets fixed --- the health care system is seriously broken --- it has nothing to do with health OR care ---- it's all about how much money the drug companies and the insurance companies can make.

It crossed my mind Tuesday as I watched them wheel Teddy Kennedy out on a stretcher that fixing health care has been his life work, and he's hanging on to get a real reform passed and to a president that will sign it.

We better all hope it happens.

Not their day to die

This post could be sub-titled "or, why I refuse to fly", but that is not my real point to this post.

My grandmother used to say that each of us has a certain appointed number of days here.

I'm not so sure I believe that --- too fatalistic for my experience, and I believe in free agency which gives us choices and chances to impact what happens in our lives.

But I also believe that every choice and decision we make impacts every choice and decision we get to make (or must make) thereafter.

I find it really interesting how the pictures from this plane ditching in the Hudson make it look like the people are all walking on the water, just waiting for those ferry boats to come by the stop and pick them up.

And actually, it seems like the guy that could almost walk on water was the pilot. By all reports, there just couldn't have been a better guy in the pilot's seat to handle this situation. I think he deserves whatever the highest civilian award for bravery and service there is.

Whatever choices, decisions or fates were involved with this group, it just wasn't their day to die.

It gives us a view of what a real hero looks like --- a pilot "doing his job", and ferry boat captains and passengers suddenly finding themselves "in the fray", making that decision to go toward the danger and help save another person's life.

What would I have done?

What would you?

Blogging --- am I doing it right?

Almost every day that I'm on my computer I check out a favorite blog or two (and I have a LOOOOONG list of "favorites" bookmarked -- some of you know who you are!).

Some days some of my favorites have posted, and some days not --- sort of like the way that I post (when the spirit moves me)

What puzzles me most are the ones that seem to look different every time I see them, like the writer has an unending fount of templates to use.

I'm thinking about what Marshall McLuhan said "the medium is the message"

I guess it's all about what your blog is to you. Since I think of mine as a sort of on line journal, I think that explains why the template doesn't change much --- from me it's about what I have to say (or babble about)

just sayin'

mumbling

This post should be subtitled "I really don't like change unless it's my idea"

For the past 6 months I have been part of a local quilt group.

It was fun.

Once a month we'd get together, show off whatever we'd been working on, stitch a bit, talk a bit, and have lunch (potluck)

Now there's been a change in the routine

It seems that there were several of the ladies that want to do "classes" -- ie: teaching each other techniques

Ok, I guess I'm outa here

Why? you ask?

#1 -- every class they have planned for the entire year involves piecing -- a fine technique, wonderful in fact if you're wanting to whip up a quick quilt top on the machine -- it's just not what I'm doing right now

#2 -- because I'm working on applique art quilts right now, doing the classes would mean I'd have to go and BUY materials to do them, and then I'd have to figure out what to do with whatever gets done in class -- also not what I had in mind doing right now --

{sigh}

just when I was having fun

Unabashedly stolen

Over at Kay's Thinking Cap she posted a list of things she's done.

Since she invited folks to do so, I stole her list and made it mine.

The stuff I've done is in RED

1. Started my own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than I can afford to a charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched lightning at sea
14. Taught myself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown my own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill. (Ok, it was a "Mental Health" day!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (in the winter I do this a lot!)
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of my ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught myself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had my portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies.
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (accidentally)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (several, actually)
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (they wanted to hire a relative).
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book.
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had my picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Ridden an elephant

Ok, a lot of the things I haven't done involve traveling -- as on a airplane -- which is not likely to happen folks!!

Interesting to review, though

What does YOUR list look like?

thinking about Spring

It's January

Right now it's not so cold that we have frost on the tree -- in fact what we do have is brown snow

Last weekend we had snow, and since our back yard faces north, the snow takes a long time to melt from there

and since there is construction going on in the field right behind us, the 50 mph winds we've had for a couple of days has turned what's left of the snow and ugly, dirty looking brown

I wish it would either finish melting or we'd get new snow (I can't believe I said I wanted snow!)




All of which has me thinking about Spring --

and Summer --

and gardens

Have you ever noticed how the seed catalogs start to arrive right after New Year's?

I'm thinking I'm not the only one that needs a bit of a lift and there's nothing quite so uplifting as thinking about eating yummy stuff right out of my own yard

We got some new catalogs this year -- my favorite being the one that came from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds --- the art work is adorable, the seed prices are reasonable and they have seeds for some plants I remember from my childhood and you can't get anywhere locally

We've worked up a list of what we're going to order, and soon we'll be going out and measuring the space then working up drawings of what will get planted where

Funny, we've lived in this house now for 7 years (the longest I've lived in one place since I left my parent's), but last summer was the first year we actually did serious gardening. I guess we're finally "here".

The DH has built me a frame to use for compost -- I need to paint it then we can put on the chicken wire to keep the labrador from digging in it for those tasty morsels -- you know, egg shells and coffee grounds and apple peel or potato peel -- the joys of gardening with a big black dog

Seed catalogs are our reminder that Spring is coming!

The Ghost of Christmas Past

When I was a child my grandmother would set up a snow village on top of the piano.

She would put down a layer of batting and set up the little houses and trees.

Back early in December I was talking to my mother about decorating for Christmas.

My folks don't decorate anymore, not even a tiny little tree, and she was asking me if there were some of the things that I wanted.

I told her that someday I'd like to have the snow village that my grandmother used to set up.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I opened one of the boxes from my mother to find these little cardboard houses inside.

These are the ones! I don't know how old they are, though I remember them from the late 1950s and I doubt they were new then. Each one has the opening in the back for the old style Christmas lights.

We're getting ready to take our Christmas stuff down now, but next year I want to get a string of small LED lights to put inside these.

Yes, it's definately the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Almost 12 Days of Christmas

I know, you're all tired of the 12 days of Christmas.

In fact, most places have gotten past Christmas, past New Year's and are already thinking about Valentine's day.

A lot of folks think of the 12 days of Christmas being the 12 days BEFORE the 25th of December. Actually it's traditionally the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany which is January 6th and is the day celebrated as when the Magi arrived.

We leave our tree up and light it until January 6.

And in recent years as our children have gotten older and have their own lives, as do my sister and her husband, sometimes the Christmas get together actually occurs with them closer to Epiphany than Christmas.

We had our family gathering at my folks house on Saturday. These gatherings usually include presents and food and a good deal of chaos -- Eight adults in a small space, everyone talking at once plus the usual mess of wrapping paper, boxes and ribbon from the unwrapping.

My sister was obviously reading my wish list this year. These were the presents I got to unwrap:

A box of pins!

Ok, you may not get how great this is, but these are an essential (and time saving) item for quilting projects.

And since I've had at least one quilt project and usually more going for quite a while, this will keep me happily moving along on those for this year


Off of her knitting needles to my hands -- lovely mitts to keep my wrists and hands warm while allowing me to write, sew, knit, draw or even type!

She had made me a pair of these last year (in bright red) and now I have a pair to wear and a pair to wash --- a wonderful thing!!!

I really love this heather-y blue yarn


There was also a package of Christmas blend coffee -- yummy --- sorry no pictures, I couldn't wait to open it and so I'm enjoying a cup-a, as I write this morning





and this book

I had read on someone else's blog (sorry, I can't remember who) about this book back when it came out in the fall and I really wanted to read it

It's great

One of the things in the first chapter talks about how long and cold and dark the month of January is and what you can do to "winterize" your mind.

I'm trying to put into practice 2 of the things

1) seeing the sunrise and the sunset every day and enjoying every precious minute of daylight

and

2) repairing something with my hands -- sew it, glue it, Fix It! I'll be mending a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts today

Sometimes when we have this family gathering I learn something new.

To say that my dad is not a great communicator would be a major understatement. So I was really amazed to hear him say how pleased he is that my sister and I are not only sisters, but have learned to be friends as well.

I know he's been hearing horror stories from one of his neighbors about one brother stealing from the other, and perhaps that is what put this on his mind.

But, yes, given that we are about as different in most ways as two sisters can be; that for most of our adult lives we've lived too far apart to even see each other for years at a time, we are friends.

So, I choose to start the new year instead of making resolutions that I probably wouldn't keep just to say how grateful I am to have a sister that is my friend ---

For all the gifts and all the times you've pulled my butt out of the fire --- thanks sis!

TW3

for those of you of a certain age, there may be a faint ringing of bells -- "TW3, TW3 -- I remember that but what was it"

It stood for the phrase "That Was The Week That Was", and was a 1960's satire of the news.

it just seems appropriate here, since it has been a week since I posted on any of my blogs

and it will be short

I'm still recovering

after 3 days of heavy pain killers, I've spent the rest of the week "tapering off" and slowly stretching the arm, trying to get range of motion and strength back

last night was the first night without pain killers, and it was nice to wake up and not feel hung over

I have managed to finish all but 2 of the planned projects for Christmas, and one of those should be done today. (the second one was a last minute "oh, I think I'll just whip this up" sort of project, and will probably be gifted "on the sticks" to be completed after Christmas)

computer work (at least at the desk top) is still painful, so the other project I need to be working on will be done on the laptop is small sessions

just wanted to let anyone that regularly reads here know I'm still "hangin' in"

surrender

after nearly a week of trying heat, cold, and advil, I have given in to the idea that I needed a stronger medication to get this whole arm/shoulder issue under control

half of a pain killer later, I was actually able to use the arm more effectively without wishing that someone would just shot me -- seriously, one can only stand so much throbbing, stabbing, burning pain

for now the plan is to try to keep the pain level down enough that I can keep the shoulder from "freezing" from lack of use and to hold off any need for a trip to the doctor until after January 1, not wanting to try to deal with the financial impact of doctor's visits, testing, etc., etc.

this means though that any project that is not absolutely necessary is on the back burner -- I'm just hoping to finish the Christmas projects I had started -- this lack of being able to do any creative activity will not be easy to deal with

nuts

growing means changing

I had lunch with an artist friend earlier this week, and our conversation made me think about the way my work has changed

Back when I started making bears most of my work were medium to large bears, sort of a morphing of what I made as toys into something more collectible

Over the years, I have experimented with really big bears and really little bears, with dressed bears and bare bears, with boy bears and girl bears.

A while back I sort of hit a wall on bears -- I was feeling that I just didn't have any more ideas for bears, so I started making some different animals --- one of a kind birds, for instance --- and those were well recieved

So, while I still enjoy building the occasional one of a kind bear, I'm thinking I'll still be doing those unusual pieces, because it feeds the growth of my art

(but I also have a bear design that I started a while back and want to get back to)

I guess the whole thing is that growing means changing, if I don't try new things I get bored and the finished work isn't worth taking the pictures of

"bear" with me, I'll be experimenting with some new things here shortly

Playing at Mammy's House

Over at Travelin Oma's Marty wrote a great post about playing at her grandmother's house.

Since I had said a while back that I was going to write some more about the things I remember of my grandmother, I took Marty's idea for this post.

I spent a lot of time at Mammy's house.

During the summer there would be long stretches of time there.

Since there was no swimming pool in easy walking distance, our summer cool off place was a tin wash tub

I remember sitting in the tub and running a hose

Running through the hose was a big deal too -- as were the discussions with my grandparents about when it was warm enough to do so -- it had to be more that 75 degrees for us to be able to run through the hose


And there were marbles

Because my grandfather was a postman back in the days when they actually WALKED a route, he would find marbles in the street

Somewhere at my mother's house there is a deep cookie tin full of the marbles he found and brought home in his pockets

I remember blowing up the air mattress, putting one end of it up on the couch and running marbles down the grooves in it to race them to the bottom

One summer when Mammy had been teaching me to knit we used up a bunch of little scrap pieces of yarn to knit little 1 to 2 inch squares with tails at one end that my sister and I dubbed "mice" which we then took outside to play with over a blanket stretched across a wood frame. We bounced them all around like they could do double flips on a trampoline.


and then there were the paperdolls

Betsy McCall paperdolls to be exact -- (which I only recently discovered were introduced in 1951 -- the year I was born!)

Mammy let me have that highly coveted page as soon as the McCall's magazine arrived in the mail.

I had a box that greeting cards had come in that was the place that the carefully cut out dolls were stored.

Right now I'm wondering whatever happened to those, wishing I had kept them, wondering if my mother will find them as she is now going through all of the ephemera from Mammy's house that she hadn't gotten to.

And so it was that play time at Mammy's was also learning life skills --- I learned to sew and knit and cut --- and all of those skills are still the backbone of the arts I do today.

So what did you play with at your grandma's house?

taking on one more project?

actually it's more a return to a project started long, long ago

we're Christmas crazy at our house -- at least that's the best excuse I have

on several occasions we have put up as many as 8 or 9 trees -- I have about 40 apple boxes full of Christmas decorations

many years ago (at least 10), I was part of a small online group that had formulated an idea for a Christmas book

Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it because -- well, life happens

but the idea of doing this has never really gone away, and it tends to rear it's head every year about this time

and it seems that it has made a return in the head of the DH as well as he went through a catalog we received this week, marked it up and handed it to me saying "this would be a good start on the book"

I guess it may be time to take the bull by the horns (or the reindeer)

One of the major problems with the book in it's former incarnation was the whole "how do we get it published" issue

In the last decade the amazing advances in the "publish it yourself" industry online has made that question into nothing more than an empty Christmas sock sort of excuse

So, I'll be asking you to bear with me as we babble on about Christmas long after the holiday is over this year while I try to figure out how to put this all together

Meantime, if you know of any artist that makes Christmas themed items, I'd welcome you sending me a link to their web presence so I can take a look!