Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunny again!!
Supposed to be in the forties today! We drove to Bridgeport yesterday---the wind was blowing and the geese were everywhere. There were thin snow squalls like curtains, and the geese were restless and excited, moving ahead of the squalls.
This picture is from the morning, I love the way the sky looks like a watercolor wash, with the low clouds floating on top of sooty sky.
Bead pics today, I hope! I got sidetracked yesterday until the light was gone, and it might not have worked anyway, as cloudy as it was.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Snow and skirts
Nice wet snow, that's already beginning to melt...At 5:30 this morning it was windy and snowing sideways, but by seven it was almost dead still.
Now the sun is peeking through, and I'll bet the white stuff is gone tomorrow!!
The pups are sooo fat! Roly-poly little peepers, they eat, sleep, and eat. The eyes should be opening any time, and we can't wait!
I hemmed Con's skirt yesterday---I used the Bo=Peep pattern in Seams To Me and it came out very well. I could have wished for a straight on front or rear view, because I thought from the photos that the ruffles went all the way across the back, with the front being straight. Instead the ruffles are on the sides with front and back straight, not a design that I would wear as a somewhat hippy adult. It does look great on a young girl though. Con chose turquoise as her main color, with yellow green and white thrown in for accents. She certainly has her own style already, and it surprises me at times!
I have a nice pile of beads, but they're mostly for an order....back later w/pics!
Now the sun is peeking through, and I'll bet the white stuff is gone tomorrow!!
The pups are sooo fat! Roly-poly little peepers, they eat, sleep, and eat. The eyes should be opening any time, and we can't wait!
I hemmed Con's skirt yesterday---I used the Bo=Peep pattern in Seams To Me and it came out very well. I could have wished for a straight on front or rear view, because I thought from the photos that the ruffles went all the way across the back, with the front being straight. Instead the ruffles are on the sides with front and back straight, not a design that I would wear as a somewhat hippy adult. It does look great on a young girl though. Con chose turquoise as her main color, with yellow green and white thrown in for accents. She certainly has her own style already, and it surprises me at times!
I have a nice pile of beads, but they're mostly for an order....back later w/pics!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
It rained
It rained last night----we heard thunder too. Strange for February, but we'll take the moisture!!
Back later w/pics, Chuck made some really pretty leaves with the new Aurae silver glass, and they really sparkle!
One of the pups managed to crawl out of the bed last night, I woke up to puppy yipping and Cocoa's anxious whining. Stumbled out of bed, put puppy back and slept like a stone the rest of the night.
Back later w/pics, Chuck made some really pretty leaves with the new Aurae silver glass, and they really sparkle!
One of the pups managed to crawl out of the bed last night, I woke up to puppy yipping and Cocoa's anxious whining. Stumbled out of bed, put puppy back and slept like a stone the rest of the night.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Mirrors
I got so sidetracked yesterday that I never came back with pictures like I'd intended. I had picked up several mirrors for photography before LAST Tucson, then promptly lost them. Not that I like to admit to being so disorganized, but I might take after my mom just a little on that one. If she put something in a safe place, you knew you would never see it again. So THIS year, I happened to sweep under the bed in the guest bedroom, and there they were. I pulled them out and took them to Tucson for display--which was fortunate because Burgard had a brand new ring that just happened to fit my flowers and just happened to look fabulous on a mirror!
So, yesterday I finally dusted them off and took my photos on them. I didn't know there was so much dust in the world, let alone on my little mirror!! I've for now settled on an alchohol wipe between pics and banishing the cats from the room.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
warm
It's warm today, suppose to be 60 plus. This part I really love, we have spring here. The snow geese have been overhead the last couple of days, bright against the sky.
I should actually have listings today.....the orders are about done, and I can play again! I ordered Aura while I was in Tucson, and hadn't done much with it til yesterday. It's beautiful on its own, but I tried a couple of other things, and we'll see this morning how they came out.
Checked the news and shouldn't have, as usual.
I should actually have listings today.....the orders are about done, and I can play again! I ordered Aura while I was in Tucson, and hadn't done much with it til yesterday. It's beautiful on its own, but I tried a couple of other things, and we'll see this morning how they came out.
Checked the news and shouldn't have, as usual.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Dizzy
Didja know----cats get dizzy?
If you take a laser pointer and make the cat chase it in circles, eventually it will begin to stagger like a drunken sailor. Sometimes they fall over. This tends to make them angry, so keep hands and feet away until they've recovered.
And don't forget; cats do not appreciate being laughed at!
If you take a laser pointer and make the cat chase it in circles, eventually it will begin to stagger like a drunken sailor. Sometimes they fall over. This tends to make them angry, so keep hands and feet away until they've recovered.
And don't forget; cats do not appreciate being laughed at!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
More excitement
I stayed home from church this morning to keep an eye on Cocoa and pups. Probably not necessary, but just in case.....
So I'm sitting quietly, reading the news, after chasing down the cat and rescuing Polly Pocket from her clutches, and I realize I've been hearing a helicopter. For a few minutes actually.
Not very common here, but back home there was constant aviation noise, so here it takes a minute to realize that something out of the ordinary is happening. I ran outside and saw a Lifeflight chopper circling, so I ran back in and grabbed the camera.
He put down a couple of blocks away, but I didn't want to get too close.
So I'm sitting quietly, reading the news, after chasing down the cat and rescuing Polly Pocket from her clutches, and I realize I've been hearing a helicopter. For a few minutes actually.
Not very common here, but back home there was constant aviation noise, so here it takes a minute to realize that something out of the ordinary is happening. I ran outside and saw a Lifeflight chopper circling, so I ran back in and grabbed the camera.
He put down a couple of blocks away, but I didn't want to get too close.
Click the picture for the full view....I haven't walked over to see exactly where he set it down, but I will later.....I'm curious.
He left empty, then the ambulance headed for town, so I'm praying that the situation was less serious than it appeared.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Excitement
Puppies! Mom is tired, can you tell? I'm tired too, sitting on the bathroom floor all night, literally, has me stiff and sore. Time for a chiropractor visit!!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Maybe today...
Cocoa is acting different today, scratching around in her bed and not wanting to be out of it.
I've limited Connie to one peek every 30 minutes, and no feeding, no checking for milk, etc...
I've limited Connie to one peek every 30 minutes, and no feeding, no checking for milk, etc...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Pizza
We (and the children) survived us cooking last night.....no one complained, there was enough for seconds, and a little left over. Some of the kids tried the curry, and liked it.
We cooked 30 pounds of chicken, 15 pounds of corn, and 14 loaves of bread. Also two roaster sized pans of green salad, as well as a large pan of chicken curry and a pan of rice.
Today I took the leftover bread dough out of the fridge and rolled it out for pizza. Con decorated it with chicken, olives, and cheese, and spread the sauce out carefully. Dad pronounced it her best idea in quite a while!
We cooked 30 pounds of chicken, 15 pounds of corn, and 14 loaves of bread. Also two roaster sized pans of green salad, as well as a large pan of chicken curry and a pan of rice.
Today I took the leftover bread dough out of the fridge and rolled it out for pizza. Con decorated it with chicken, olives, and cheese, and spread the sauce out carefully. Dad pronounced it her best idea in quite a while!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Chronophage
Chronophage means time-eater---gee, I wonder if they aren't invisible as well?
That would explain some things.
http://www.wired.com/culture/design/magazine/17-02/st_chronophage
That would explain some things.
http://www.wired.com/culture/design/magazine/17-02/st_chronophage
Snow
Snowing again, I should have known. It was warm yesterday, and I'll bet that had I looked, there was a front coming. It's always warm in front, cold behind.
S'ok, though, this translates to moisture for the fields, and snowpack in the mountains for later.
Even though we don't fly right now, there's still that awareness of the weather patterns. Here in ag country everyone lives by the weather also, but for different reasons.
Time to start the chicken, I have 30 pounds to marinate and cook for the kids tonight.
We'll have chicken, corn, salad, and two hour bread if I can manage it.
Once I have that going, I can make some beads!
S'ok, though, this translates to moisture for the fields, and snowpack in the mountains for later.
Even though we don't fly right now, there's still that awareness of the weather patterns. Here in ag country everyone lives by the weather also, but for different reasons.
Time to start the chicken, I have 30 pounds to marinate and cook for the kids tonight.
We'll have chicken, corn, salad, and two hour bread if I can manage it.
Once I have that going, I can make some beads!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Playing catch up
There was no mail yesterday.....so I didn't pack the orders I should have packed.
I didn't make all the beads I should have made.
I went to the store for ice cream and root beer and waited for ten minutes in line behind the checker's buddy who had a brand new Chevy jacket and needed to explain every detail.
Then we went home and had root beer floats.
And went to bed with a very pregnant Chihuahua under the bedspread but on top of the sheets. Gotta get that layering just right.
I didn't make all the beads I should have made.
I went to the store for ice cream and root beer and waited for ten minutes in line behind the checker's buddy who had a brand new Chevy jacket and needed to explain every detail.
Then we went home and had root beer floats.
And went to bed with a very pregnant Chihuahua under the bedspread but on top of the sheets. Gotta get that layering just right.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Digital TV
From the LA Times:
"The government program that's providing $40 coupons for antenna-using TV viewers to purchase digital coverters has run out of money."
From the AP:
"The stimulus bill that President Barack Obama is expected to sign on Tuesday contains $650 million in additional funding. Once that's available to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, it can clear the 4 million coupon backlog in a few weeks. "
Personally, I think TV is vastly overrated, primarily an advertising vehicle, and if we all turned the darn thing off, we as a country would be much farther ahead. Certainly ahead the $650 mil for the coupons.
We do own a TV, but it's used for the Punkin's videos. When we got here we found that the cable worked if we hooked it up, even though it's technically disconnected. So we left it unhooked, and the cable coiled up in a corner. It's funny when other people's kids come over---they invariably turn on the TV, discover that it doesn't work, then realize it isn't connected. Then comes the "Mom, should we tell them their TV isn't connected?" in a stage whisper that carries across the room. At this point we mention that it isn't hooked up by choice, and watch the poor things wilt.
"The government program that's providing $40 coupons for antenna-using TV viewers to purchase digital coverters has run out of money."
From the AP:
"The stimulus bill that President Barack Obama is expected to sign on Tuesday contains $650 million in additional funding. Once that's available to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, it can clear the 4 million coupon backlog in a few weeks. "
Personally, I think TV is vastly overrated, primarily an advertising vehicle, and if we all turned the darn thing off, we as a country would be much farther ahead. Certainly ahead the $650 mil for the coupons.
We do own a TV, but it's used for the Punkin's videos. When we got here we found that the cable worked if we hooked it up, even though it's technically disconnected. So we left it unhooked, and the cable coiled up in a corner. It's funny when other people's kids come over---they invariably turn on the TV, discover that it doesn't work, then realize it isn't connected. Then comes the "Mom, should we tell them their TV isn't connected?" in a stage whisper that carries across the room. At this point we mention that it isn't hooked up by choice, and watch the poor things wilt.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tea party
Today we are having a tea party.
Connie is writing a list of rules:
Be polite
Smile
Use manners
No flipping food
No moose burps
Can you tell that Dad's tea party manners need a brush up?
Connie is writing a list of rules:
Be polite
Smile
Use manners
No flipping food
No moose burps
Can you tell that Dad's tea party manners need a brush up?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
So this is what it was
Some mornings I wake up and wonder where the ache is; the longing for the sound of the waves on the beach, and rain, RAIN on the roof--smell of spruce and alder, and wet leaves underfoot.
It used to be a constant companion, like a toothache, or a broken bone that didn't heal quite right and always reminds you that it really isn't like it used to be.
I have more days without it now, sometimes weeks, but the depth and the intensity has always been a mystery to me. After all, it's the same earth underfoot, and where exactly my feet tread should not matter all that much.
Several weeks ago I found this blog:
http://elisepatkotak.com/
She's a columnist for ADN, and while I don't agree with a lot of her views, I admire her way with words, and oh man is she funny at times!
So, in browsing her blog I came across this: "Many people in the bush are bonded to their land and seas so strongly that to bring them to an urban area is to condemn them to slow death. We have seen time and time again what happens to indigenous people displaced from their lands. They become lost souls who seem to fit in nowhere."
Well, I never thought of myself in that light. I did happen to be born in Alaska, almost in a 172 in the middle of the night, as a matter of fact. There was no doctor in Seldovia at that time, and I chose the middle of the night to make my appearance, so my mom had to wake up the local pilot for a ride to Homer. She said he was more nervous than she was...
It does explain a lot though---I could still tell you HERE are the first nettle shoots in spring, and HERE the first shoots of watermelon berry that taste like cucumber, and HERE the squirrel nesting tree, and HERE the little yellow violets and later the wild geraniums. THIS tree is shelter when the wind blows from the southwest with snow in it.
One word; indigenous.
I never thought it applied to me. I'm white, Hungarian, immigrant blood, child of homesteaders, but indigenous? I guess it fits as well as the rest. And it explains a lot.
It used to be a constant companion, like a toothache, or a broken bone that didn't heal quite right and always reminds you that it really isn't like it used to be.
I have more days without it now, sometimes weeks, but the depth and the intensity has always been a mystery to me. After all, it's the same earth underfoot, and where exactly my feet tread should not matter all that much.
Several weeks ago I found this blog:
http://elisepatkotak.com/
She's a columnist for ADN, and while I don't agree with a lot of her views, I admire her way with words, and oh man is she funny at times!
So, in browsing her blog I came across this: "Many people in the bush are bonded to their land and seas so strongly that to bring them to an urban area is to condemn them to slow death. We have seen time and time again what happens to indigenous people displaced from their lands. They become lost souls who seem to fit in nowhere."
Well, I never thought of myself in that light. I did happen to be born in Alaska, almost in a 172 in the middle of the night, as a matter of fact. There was no doctor in Seldovia at that time, and I chose the middle of the night to make my appearance, so my mom had to wake up the local pilot for a ride to Homer. She said he was more nervous than she was...
It does explain a lot though---I could still tell you HERE are the first nettle shoots in spring, and HERE the first shoots of watermelon berry that taste like cucumber, and HERE the squirrel nesting tree, and HERE the little yellow violets and later the wild geraniums. THIS tree is shelter when the wind blows from the southwest with snow in it.
One word; indigenous.
I never thought it applied to me. I'm white, Hungarian, immigrant blood, child of homesteaders, but indigenous? I guess it fits as well as the rest. And it explains a lot.
Snowing again
Fat, fluffy, drifting flakes....as always, the memory of blooming cactus and desert is fading quickly.
I was surprised, the extra-large lentil press I ordered on the way home showed up yesterday. I hadn't expected to see it til next week. Thanks, Catt!! I only made two beads with it yesterday, and it does take a LOT of glass!
I was feeling stagnation and couldn't decide what to do about it.......finally made the decision to try larger pieces. I tend to use the larger choice in a multi-sized press, and somehow that has crept into all my work. It's just such an "average" size. I'm always impressed when I look at Debi's work, she gravitates to the smaller end of the scale, and all her work has a delicate feel about it, even if the colors themselves are bold. So, I decided to try both larger and smaller just for a better range in my pieces.
I was surprised, the extra-large lentil press I ordered on the way home showed up yesterday. I hadn't expected to see it til next week. Thanks, Catt!! I only made two beads with it yesterday, and it does take a LOT of glass!
I was feeling stagnation and couldn't decide what to do about it.......finally made the decision to try larger pieces. I tend to use the larger choice in a multi-sized press, and somehow that has crept into all my work. It's just such an "average" size. I'm always impressed when I look at Debi's work, she gravitates to the smaller end of the scale, and all her work has a delicate feel about it, even if the colors themselves are bold. So, I decided to try both larger and smaller just for a better range in my pieces.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Funny
In browsing around, the theme for today appears to be posting about the date, one with what appears to be the Wikipedia entry cut and pasted....
I've never been superstitious, but all the theories are interesting.
It's snowing this morning, so in between torching, it's definitely time to begin planning the garden. I bought seeds in Dec and Jan, so that I would be sure to get what I needed this year---as if I really NEED 10 varieties of exotic tomatoes.....of course I do!
The whole side yard that never has had nice grass will be a vegetable garden this year--if I have to pay for water, then I need to be able to use the end result, yes? On a side note, the zucchini we saved last fall are still mostly good, I chopped one up in soup last night. The skin gets hard and they taste a little "squashy", more like a winter squash. They do keep, and it's better than canning them.
I've never been superstitious, but all the theories are interesting.
It's snowing this morning, so in between torching, it's definitely time to begin planning the garden. I bought seeds in Dec and Jan, so that I would be sure to get what I needed this year---as if I really NEED 10 varieties of exotic tomatoes.....of course I do!
The whole side yard that never has had nice grass will be a vegetable garden this year--if I have to pay for water, then I need to be able to use the end result, yes? On a side note, the zucchini we saved last fall are still mostly good, I chopped one up in soup last night. The skin gets hard and they taste a little "squashy", more like a winter squash. They do keep, and it's better than canning them.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Home again
Back from Tucson, that amazing conglomerate from all over the world, mixed together in an eclectic stew for several weeks.
We did well at the shows, and Con made new friends and reunited with old...
Now there is schoolwork to be caught up on and I have orders to fill.
We did well at the shows, and Con made new friends and reunited with old...
Now there is schoolwork to be caught up on and I have orders to fill.
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