The Fence, The Alarm and My Mom - Here, There and Everywhere

Happy Wednesday. Despite the weather being lovely yesterday, DH "putzed"  in the garden, but didn't do anything about spray-coating the fence. I, on the other hand, watched several YouTube videos about how to use our paint sprayer. I'm much more confident now. DH has decided his best days to do the fence are Saturday and Sunday. Supposedly the weather will be best. I have my doubts that the weather people can tell with any certitude this far away. But we'll see. We need to get the fence clear coated, and if he won't do it, I'll have to fold it into my time. 

The spray painter is pretty easy to use, the tricky part is 
making sure that the paint is the correct thickness to easily 
work through the mechanism. There are some videos that I 
was watching yesterday. I'll try and watch a few more today. 
I might get stuck doing this on my own - sometimes these 
jobs start with good intentions and then never quite get done. 

I phoned my security alarm company yesterday, and it seems like the lack of communication was a glitch because everything is working well now. That's a relief. I don't have to have a technician come out and play with the alarm panel. At least one thing was a positive. 

I'm not sure if the statement above is grammatically 
correct. It's grating on me. I suspect it should be 
"...recover emails that have disappeared ..." rather than 
the shorter way in the illustration. But ... the concept is 
exactly what I'm talking about, so here you go. An 
incorrect text box for the correct idea - LOL. 

Today I have to check out an email from Missy - she's tried to send it several times without success, so we'll see if it arrived in my in-box yesterday afternoon. I certainly hope so. It's old photos and memories of my Mom that her Mom had kept. I'd very much like to see it and read about it. 

This is the photo that I have hanging on 
the wall to the left of my computer. I see it 
every day. Mom was probably around 40 in 
this photo. She was a beauty! 

I also need to contact the county watershed district. We need to schedule a walk-through on our property. They will be clearing trees from our stream bed (or drainage ditch) and we want to make sure that they are quite aware of what trees are on their property and which ones are on ours. I'll call them today, between cooking, cleaning, laundry and finally collapsing and chatting with Aearwen - whose birthday it is today. So, Happy Birthday Aearwen. Hope you have a wonderful day and year ahead. I'm heading for the pool, so have an excellent Wednesday. Slava Ukraini. 

Pork and the Theatre and Cooking - Hmmmmm ... I Guess I'm Channeling Mom

Yesterday was a lazy day, and I was all in favor of it. I waved good-bye to March and today I am welcoming in April. DH was so exhausted that he took an afternoon nap, I worked on this and that, put the pork roast into the oven, pulled it out when my probe thermometer said it was done, and it was just about perfect. We returned it to the oven for five more minutes to get a bit more cook, but yum! We'll finish it off tonight - sometimes I just ADORE left overs - LOL. 

We both love our local grocery store's marinated 
pork roast. In fact, there's another one in the 
freezer already. I'm looking forward to another 
meal from this one for dinner tonight. 

With March ending, I shift my thoughts from my Dad to my Mom, whose birthday is early April. Mom was dynamic, ever-moving, with lots of friends and acquaintances, and lots of interests. She was a gourmet cook, absolutely worshiped Julia Child, and made friends easily. Dad just came along for the ride - LOL. Just like Dad, she loved opera, but her true love was musical theatre. I think "The Fantasticks" was her favorite musical. She traveled to the East Coast to visit her cousins and always went to at least one Broadway show while she was there. When I went to London with her, we saw two shows while there - Anthony Hopkins in "M Butterfly" (absolutely fabulous), and "Les Miserables" which I was less impressed with. 

I loved seeing Anthony Hopkins in "M 
Butterfly" on London's West End. It was a 
fabulous production and he was amazing 
in it. Mom adored the theatre, so I went 
along with her when she needed a partner. 
It wasn't a sacrifice to head to London with 
her for a week of museums, tours and theatres. 

Mom was very much a get-up-and-go person. When she was bored, she joined the local senior center, adding a new circle of friends from her other organizations like the Jewish Community Center. She had a definite sense of style, was a talented dress designer and seamstress, and just had a real ability to reach out to other people and make them feel like they were important. She had great expectations for me, and I fear I failed in most of them. But, I hope that she knew she was loved and cherished and appreciated. All of those things would have been important to her. 

Mom had (and now I have) the original 
publication of Julia Child's "The French 
Chef Cookbook". Mom watched every 
episode of hers on Public Broadcasting, 
and the cookbook was well thumbed and 
well used. 

So, as I get ready to jump into another week of this, that, and never enough time, I'll be grateful for the woman whose photo is above my desk at all times. Through the dark times and the light, she swam and floated, teaching me how to keep my balance when everything was crashing in around me. April is a good month. Have an excellent day, I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini and חיים עבור ישראל.

A Fish Fry and Memories of Mom - A Holiday Weekend for Many, Too

Last night's final fish meal was actually delightful. DH had warned me he needed the oven, and, as it turned out, I needed the stove top, so that worked out well. I had a small Walleye fillet and a Tilapia fillet that I wanted to fry up. The last time I tried frying, it was good, but not quite what I wanted, so I was determined to do it right this time. I almost succeeded completely, and I'll definitely do this again. 

I coated my fish completely, not just on the top as 
this photo, but the coating was perfect, and crunchy, 
just the way I had wanted it to be. I'll call last 
night's meal successful. 

I washed and dried the fish completely, then dusted them with a thin coating of almond flour. I then dipped them into a raw egg that had been whipped with a fork, and finally I pressed gluten-free Panko crumbs onto each side. I used a heavy pan, heating it until it smoked before adding 3 tablespoons of avocado oil to it, then I added the fish and let them fry, turning them when I thought they had cooked enough on each side. They cooked beautifully and quickly, and had that crunchy exterior that I had wanted in my earlier attempt a few weeks ago. It was an excellent Good Friday meal. 

I love eating heirloom carrots. I like carrots in general, 
but the flavor of the heirloom ones is varied and 
deep. They're wonderful roasted, so I have some waiting 
in the refrigerator for my Sunday dinner. 

For Easter Sunday DH picked up a marinated roast, so I'll be putting that into the oven with my thermometer, and roasting it to a medium-rare. I have some Brussels sprouts and seasoned heirloom carrots to go with my roast, DH has some potatoes and other things he wants for his. All in all, as long as I don't overcook the roast, we should have a lovely Easter Sunday meal. 

Thanks to all who were kind enough to comment on  
yesterday's "Five Questions" post. I learned some 
things from reading your comments, and smiled 
with each one. *hugs* to all! 

Thanks to all who commented on my little "five questions" post yesterday. I got to find out a little more about friends, and had my error in Spanish gently corrected by my dear friend in Peru. You're all the BEST! 

As you know by now, this is Mom when 
she was between 30-40 years old (I suspect 
closer to 40). Happy Birthday, Mom! 

As I mentioned yesterday, today would have been my Mom's birthday. She was a hurricane in a small frame - only 5 foot, 2 inches tall but with energy enough to power a small town. She was a talented seamstress and clothing designer, as I'm sure many of you know, and she was always broadening out into new crafts and art forms. Through my time with her we did mosaic (I have one of her exquisite bowls in my living room) and painting - she was quite good, I was rather dismal although I do enjoy it now and again. In my teen years she did some jewelry making until her hands gave out, and then she turned to working with stained glass. I have one of her sun-catchers in the upstairs bedroom window. 

Mom was never afraid to do what needed doing. Dad was hopeless when it came to home maintenance, so if something broke, it was up to Mom to fix it. She had a small collection of tools, and the phone number of a variety of handy-men upon whom she called for the larger work like putting up false walls or installing ceiling fixtures. I still remember George, who did occasional work for Mom for many years. He was an ex-con, a super nice guy, and we went to his memorial wake when he passed from a heart attack. Mom moaned that she never had a better handyman than George. 

Mom rewired lamps, painted many walls, and redecorated until she was happy. She always bought quality - her couch was from the early 1960's and she had it re-upholstered with every house she moved to. The large round living-room table was also from the 1960's and moved from house to house with them, along with her sideboard credenza and the two armchairs. When they moved to their condominium, there wasn't any room for me when I visited, but that was fine. They would put me (or us, if DH came along) up in the hotel next door (a very nice suite hotel) and we would just walk the block over to visit. Mom loved the opera and ballet (Dad adored opera, but really was NOT a ballet fan). Somehow they clicked - the scholar and the designer. They were married for almost 60 years. Dad died a month before their 60th wedding anniversary. 

So, today's post is a bit long, but I thought I'd share a remarkable woman with all of you. I'm going to wrap this up and start getting ready to go to work. Have an excellent weekend, and if you're celebrating any of the numerous religious holidays this weekend, Be Blessed. Slava Ukraini. 

A Personal "Five Questions" For You - Please Join In the Fun

I had some questions in my head this morning. Nothing large enough to write an entire blog about, but if joined together, like a "Five Questions" post, it could be fun. So, here's my personal version of a "Five Questions" that I'm curious about. Answer or not, but I would appreciate your input. 

Red is a small word for a large variety of color. Here's 
a chart of variations of "red". What words are used 
for the color in your language and any other languages 
you might know? 

1) What word is used in your language(s) to denote the color "Red"? 

I'm curious about this because the thought occurred to me that "Red" and "Rojas" and the other versions of "red" that I'm familiar with are all quite similar. But I have friends who are from all over the world, and who may speak languages where that similarity simply doesn't exist. For instance, it's probably a vastly different word in Chinese, Japanese or any number of dialects used in India. What can you contribute? 

I think I'd like to either be a fox or an owl - both 
animals are dear to my soul. 

2) If you could turn into any type of animal (that would include birds, if desired), what would you choose? 

I've been reading a long series of "shifters" books - think werewolves without the drool, full moon, and specific species. In these books those who can change their shape are called "shifters", which makes sense to me. She's come up with some wild ones - a python, an Asian elephant and a variety of big cats. It was her penguin shifter that caused me amusement this morning. I've truly never thought of a shifter who could turn into a penguin before. So, what about you? 

I'd probably skip starting my own business, and just 
go back into the larger job pool once again. I didn't 
enjoy working for idiots, but I'm not sure it's been 
worth the 30+ years I've run my own store. 

3) What single thing would you change in your past? 

I know exactly what I'd change. I wouldn't open my own business, rather I'd stay employed as a grunt, working for idiots and collecting a paycheck every two weeks (or twice a month). I do have a bad habit of being a plain speaker, though, and I only tolerate idiots for so long before letting them know their level of intelligence is WAY down on the scale. It's probably a good reason why I never stayed in a single job for longer than three years or so. 

There are a lot of really positive things about my state. We 
may nor have the mountains of my native Colorado, or 
the deserts and ruins of my second state, New Mexico, but 
there's a stunning perfection to our lakes and forests up 
here, and our weather helps keep the population a bit 
more under control. 

4) If you could easily live anywhere in the world (we're ignoring wars, religious zealots or politics for this one). 

Surprisingly, and despite our crazy weather, I love living up here in the Frozen Northlands of Minnesota. I don't think I'd like to live anywhere else, although I'd love to visit other places. I wouldn't mind moving into a different dwelling that would be better suited to our aging bodies, but our snow and cold helps keep the riff-raff away. LOL

I love this photo of my Mom. I have it 
hanging to the left of my computer. My 
best estimate is that she was between 35-40 
years old in this photo. There might be a date 
on the back of it, but I'm not able to get 
close with any ease to pull it down from 
the wall and check it out. 

5) If you could see one person again for a half-hour of time, who would you choose? 

This one is a bit harder for me. Although I'd love to see my father, I think I'd love to meet again with a younger version of my mother - before her Alzheimer's of course, and while she was still active and interested in anything under the sun. I'd love to meet her in the halls of the Denver Art Museum where we could sit on a bench and have a nice catch-up. I might be thinking about her because tomorrow is her birthday, but I actually think about my mother quite often. 

So ... what about you? Are you willing to play along with me? I don't require long drawn-out explanations of any of your answers, but I'm curious. All of this led from the first question, which occurred to me while taking my morning shower today. The subconscious mind is a terrible thing to waste - LOL. I'll be back tomorrow, Slava Ukraini. 

Dresses and Gowns and Dreams of Days Past - Sharing Fashion

Among the things I did yesterday was bring my dress form upstairs into my living room and photograph the six dresses I had from my mother's collection. She was a bit smaller than I am - 5 feet, 2 inches to my current 5'4". I set the dials to my current measurements to see if the dresses would be wearable (although I think I'll actually sell them as "Vintage Handmade Clothing" on Etsy instead of keeping them). I promised I would share, so here's a heavy photo blog for you on this very cold day. 

Starting with a plain, black sheath cocktail dress. 
I rather like this one - not very ornamental, but 
very functional and looking quite comfortable. 

A detail look at the bodice allows you to see the 
lace panels and the plain satin or silk (I think it's 
satin). It would be a lovely dress when worn. 

The green lace cocktail dress with sequins and 
beadwork at the bodice and on the attached 
scarf is a bit more elaborate. That's not a sleeve 
on the left, that's the bottom of the very long 
attached scarf that I wrapped around the neck and 
finally allowed to drape down. 

When this was first made, it must have sparkled 
brilliantly. The dull white sparkles are actually 
a clear, silver-lined bead. Like all S/L beads, it 
tarnishes over time and becomes more dull. 
It's a lovely dress, though and also has a separate 
shawl of the green lace. Prepared for any 
occasion with this gown. 

This cocktail dress is my favorite gown. 
It's a light colored satin completely 
covered by lace and the top then has 
velvet embellishments all around it. It's 
a stunning dress. 

Looking closer, you can see the leaf structure she 
designed for the bodice. Four leaves in the front, and 
another four leaves in the back. I'm looking forward 
to seeing how well this dress cleans up. 

The blue split front dress has a lightweight 
underskirt which is WAY too small for me. The 
dress itself, however, would fit fine. Since the 
underskirt joins in the back and would be 
totally invisible at that point, the waistband 
could be extended with bias tape to make the 
ensemble wearable by my size. Again, this 
is a cocktail length dress. 

The bodice on this gown has a small top split 
to mirror the larger bottom split. It's really well 
designed and well made. I think it will be 
stunning on the right person - someone who 
adores vintage clothing. 

This is the only dress in the collection that 
I've actually worn. This one doesn't have a 
zipper, instead it buttons completely up the 
front with fabric-covered buttons. I'm missing 
one button, which might be a problem, but 
there might be enough of a seam allowance 
in the interior to spare fabric for a replacement. 

Looking at the detail, you can see how it fastens. 
There is actually a zig/zag row of formed fabric 
extending from the bodice at the right, and 
attaching to each individual button on the left. 
This is a style of button and fastening that my 
Mom used on a lot of different outfits. It's a 
classy way to have a "button hole" since it's 
not a hole, but another design effect. 

This dress is a true gown, extending to ankle 
length. Perfect for the opera or theatre. It 
features a dropped shoulder and gentle 
V-neck on a three-tiered skirt. Lots of lace 
on this. I could easily see Mom in the 
audience watching La Boheme wearing 
this dress and holding on to her opera 
glasses. 

A closer look at the bodice and you can see it is 
all tulle and lacework. The top dropped sleep 
portion needs a bit of repair, but it's actually 
in pretty good shape. 

Taking a closer look at the bottom, you can see 
where there is some mildew at the lowest tier, 
and obviously there are a LOT of wrinkles, but 
this might be absolutely stunning after a proper 
press and clean. 

Apparently there is one more dress that DH set aside that has a lot of pearls and beads. I'll make him chase that up and add it to the collection when he does. I'll have to do a bit of research on vintage gowns. I suspect these are all from the 1950's - I'm pretty darned sure Mom didn't run away from Hitler to shelter in Britain with a suitcase of clothes of this vintage. When Mom moved to Denver, she and my aunt Vera set up a dress-makers business and were quite successful. Eventually they closed their doors and went into separate careers - Mom to teach piano and do custom sewing, Tante Vera to teach dance. 

So, it's darned cold outside and I have to get to the pool. I hope you enjoyed this small fashion show of dresses my Mom left for me. I'll get these cleaned up, research the pricing for vintage clothing, and get them up on Etsy. The gowns, although they fit me, won't really do me any good these days. I'm more of a jeans and a t-shirt kind of gal - LOL. Have an excellent day and I'll be back tomorrow (provided I don't freeze into a block of ice!). 

A Tale of Two Sewing Machines

I had dreams yesterday. I wanted to get my "work" out of the way early and settle down at my sewing machine for an hour or two. I have aprons on my mind. I own two waitress-style aprons, both given to me by a long-time customer. One is Halloween themed, the other features small snowmen against a medium blue background. I want to make several more aprons - a Minion one to match my favorite face mask, and other colorful ones to feature fabrics I've collected for years. 

I love my sewing machine. It's quite similar to this photo, same
model, but all white. It does a TON of stuff, without being
impossible to deal with, and it sews through a large variety
of fabrics and weights effortlessly. It was expensive, and worth
every penny. 

I settled down at my faithful sewing machine and realized I wanted turquoise thread to match the background fabric. I pulled out the appropriate spool of thread and an empty bobbin. Time to wind some of the thread around the bobbin - an automatic process for most sewing machines, and one I've done hundreds of times. Except this time. This time, my bobbin winder didn't wind - the machine sewed perfectly, but the bobbin winder was on the frintz. But wait! All was not lost! I had another machine I could try. 

It was a rainy day yesterday, but you can still see
tomatoes ripening on my container tomato plant.
The plant has thrived. I did give it two doses of
calcium as a fertilizer (four broken and pulverized
eggshells for each dose), and it perked up
beautifully. It's healthy and happy. 

When my mother passed away early this century, I inherited her sewing machine and it's the same make and model as my own (although much more heavily used). I pulled her machine from the craft room and settled it in place of my own. I loaded up a bobbin and voila! No ... no voila. Instead of "Bobbin Winding" appearing on the activities screen, I saw an error code. No error code when I switched back to stitch mode, just for bobbins. I was doomed! 

The new row of rocks is the probable new edge for our
down-slope drainage ditch. We need to have a larger
backsplash area and probably will raise that edge another
inch or so too. 

I went to my trusty computer and called up a sewing machine supply company I had dealt with many years ago for a successful repair on an old Bernina machine I had used. Did they repair New Home Memory Craft 7000's? Why yes, they did, and they were located very close to my house. I made sure they were open to the public, put my sewing machine, the foot pedal and power cord into my car, and drove over. 

Here's a close-up of the eastern end of the wood shed.
Looking to the left, you can see how high DH had to
build it up to get level. We have quite the down
slope in that part of the yard. You can also see the
landscaping fabric, the edging and the river rocks. 

It'll be three weeks or so, and cost me $100 or so (the original machine was $1200, so I'm perfectly fine with paying a reasonable repair cost), but I'll get my baby back home again. After I've got mine fixed, I'll think about getting Mom's fixed too. But...it's more important to get mine up and running again. Of course, to get the cords unplugged, I had to pull out bags and bags of fabric. Guess what I'll be cleaning up over the next 2-3 Wednesdays? LOL 

Here's the full view of both sections after the edging has been
put down and the rocks placed. It's working really well with
the water now. We checked and double-checked it during
yesterday's rain. Today the black fill dirt will be delivered and
the next stages of the landscaping projects can commence. 

I've peppered this post with pictures of the woodshed progress and my container tomato which is so happy and providing me with 1-3 nice tomatoes almost every day now. I hope you have a glorious day and that all your problems will be as minor as a broken bobbin winder. Have a wonderful Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Family Surprises and the Fourth of July

Tomorrow is the 4th of July, and I'm taking a break from my blog for a day to sleep in and have a nice day with DH, rain (unfortunately), and my computer. All in all, my plan is relaxing because I need/want it. I hope all of you will have the opportunity to spend your holiday with friends and loved ones. So here's the surprise for my day. 

Yes, I have a landline phone. I do most everything
on my cell phone, but there are things about a land
line that are good, and times when it's been
a life saver. 

Last night I received a phone call on my land line. (Yes, I still have a land line as well as my cell phone. I have my reasons, even if it is a silly expense.) I was popping in and out of that room, so let it switch over to voice mail. I finally had a chance to listen to it an hour or two later. It was a blast from the past and caught me a bit off-guard (in a good way). 

A bit of backstory: I've never been fully engaged with my family roots - I rarely met relatives of my parents except for those living close, and they rarely discussed distant family members. I know more about my father's side of the family because of a single, involved, family member who founded "Alexander's Children" which now has family reunions every five years. I know little about Mom's side of the family. Mom didn't talk about her family much, although she did travel to the East Coast to meet relations every year or two, and a few times people came to Denver to visit her. 

Mayo Clinic is huge and world famous. It's come a long way
from two brothers practicing medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. 

Last night's phone call was from my second cousin in New Jersey, who took a chance on a whim and phoned. Her daughter, Ariella, will be starting a medical residency at Mayo Clinic today, so Judy will be flying in and heading down to Rochester to help her settle in. Judy, (my cousin), thought it would be fun to take a chance and reach out to me. I'm pleased that she did, and a bit astonished. I guess I have a lot of relatives spread out that I never knew about. We had a really nice conversation and we'll keep in touch through FaceBook. Wow - a whole new group of family I hadn't thought about in more than forty years! 

Happy Fourth of July to all! 

Have a great 4th of July, whether you're celebrating in the USA with fireworks, bar-b-que, and music, or whether it's just another day in July. I'll be back on Friday. 

Celebrating Craft - Two Very Special People's Work

Saturday was a bit slow, but had unexpected wonderful events. In mid-afternoon, a long-time customer of mine, Michaela, (who gifted us with some fabulous baked goods for Christmas,) came in to the shop. It's not unexpected to see her, she comes by often and is a very talented crafter. After waiting until other customers were taken care of and sent on their way, she handed me a small bag. Inside, wrapped in colored tissue, was a wonderful multi-colored cloche that she knit for me. It'll keep me nice and warm while my hair grows back, and she chose the yarns specifically to work with the sweater I wear at the shop. It's fabulous! I have the BEST customers EVER! 

I love the colors of the knitted cloche, but really love
the fact that she made this for me just ... because. So
sweet! I'm really enjoying wearing it a lot! 

Coming home that night, DH and I spent time after dinner going through his vision of the craft room and the laundry room - both of which will require serious re-arranging and lots of construction. The end goal is to merge my shop workbench into my home space and that's going to need a more efficient space so that both DH and I have room for our own art and supplies. I was pretty OK with almost all of his plans - they're well thought out and should work really well. I promised to spend part of my Sunday going through several boxes of old books and a couple of boxes I had shipped to myself with the last of the things I rescued from my parent's place. 

Going through boxes like a good girl, can unveil treasures. Although most of what I shipped home from Mom's place were just the last-minute things that I had no room to put into the car, there also was a large mosaic bowl that she had made many years before. Mom was a talented artist in many different media, but among them was mosaic. I had no room for the matching table, and the mosaic portrait had been sold or trashed years before, but the bowl was one piece of her art I could take home. It's actually rather massive and heavy, and it's as beautiful today as it was when she first made it. I've put it next to my fireplace and I'm really happy to have it home and on display at last. 

This large wooden bowl with interior mosaic matched a
long mosaic table that Mom also made. I knew I had
no room for the table, so sold it along with most of her
other things. I rescued the bowl, though - one of the
few pieces of her art I have left. I love it. 

Add in football, Chinese food for dinner, and a surprisingly easygoing day on Sunday with only one small bump in the road, lets me call the weekend successful. We didn't lose our tempers at all, which was rather miraculous! 

Chickie closes on the new house today and helps her Mom move later today and all day tomorrow. Their first chore - buy and install new locks. I really hope this all works out for them, it's very exciting. 

Enjoy your Monday and I'll return tomorrow. Today is so packed with appointments before I open the shop, I won't even have time for a quick breakfast. Oh well, I have protein bars at the shop and lots of leftover Chinese for a very nice dinner. Have fun today! 

Dragon Gets a Frame and a Stubbed Toe Brings a Memory

I've finally had a chance to catch up on a few personal projects, and wanted to share this one with all of you, since you were in at the beginning. In May, my friend Claire (Chickie Mom) gave me a wonderful birthday card featuring a quilled dragon. I know I featured it on my blog because I thought it was so beautiful. Shortly afterward I purchased the components to frame it and started that process, but I needed one more thing from my craft room and it was down a few boxes in one bin a bit harder to get to. 

The brightness of contrast between the blue and the
green doesn't come through quite as well in the photo,
but he looks really spectacular. I was trying to
avoid reflections in the glass, so it's not the best
photo. 

I finally brought that final component over to the shop and also had a bit of free time, so yesterday morning I finished framing my Quilled Sea Dragon. I think it turned out great. I'll be hanging it onto the wall to join a small collection of other precious items and framed artworks within the next week, but it's sitting at floor level next to my computer chair for a few days. That's rather nice too, because I can just glance over and see him preening proudly. So beautiful! 

You can see his colors much better in the original
photo when I first posted about him. He's made
with quilled paper, rather unique. I'm looking
forward to getting him up on my wall. 

I'm starting to get psyched for the beginning of Renaissance Festival on Sunday. I still have to make sure I have my clothes ready to go, as well as my belt and assorted pouches. It is no fun to be scrambling for those things at the last minute. I purchased a set of 2-for-1 tickets for Chickie and Sharon to use over Labor Day. This year they're doing things a bit differently - they have to bring the receipt to will-call to get the tickets. I'll have to make sure I print that out within the next day or two. I don't want to forget to bring it along with us. 

Mom had a very fancy Mother-of-pearl inlaid accordion
similar to this one which was kept in its case in the
hall closet. It was very heavy, and quite beautiful.
I looked for it after she died, to make sure I hadn't
overlooked it, but it wasn't in the house. She probably
sold it - she tended to not hang onto things that
weren't in active use. 

Today's post is short and sweet - not a lot to say. It's been hot - VERY, and I managed to stub my toe on the edge of the couch shortly after 1:00 am this morning. It still hurts. I can't believe I was such a klutz! I remember my Mom wandering around the house using a cane for weeks when she broke her toe. Of course, it was a bit more than a stubbed toe - her accordion (yes, she had a beautiful accordion) in it's case was in the closet and she stubbed her big toe on it hard enough to break the toe. Ouch! At least my toe is just bruised, not broken. 

Happy Friday to all. I'm looking forward to wrapping this week up. At least the weather has been fabulous - nice and warm. Difficult for sleeping, but absolutely 100% perfect for swimming in the outdoor pool in the mornings. So, I'm off to do just that and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Getting Older - Not Always Sunshine and Butterflies

We're all getting older. It's one of those things that gives us no choice - time proceeds and we walk, run, or stumble alongside it. Some authors equate time with a river, I look at it as more like a wave - sometimes moving faster, sometimes slower. Of course time doesn't actually change, but our perception of its' passage certainly does. Why speak about time? Well, time is measured in many ways and one of those ways are dealing with the items that surround us.

Time is a river ... or is it? An MIT Professor has suggested a
new theory of time. Check out the article here.  

For instance, DH's car. DH's car used to belong to my mother. When she died in the early part of this century, it was one of the things I inherited. At that time it was a car that was around 10-12 years old, and in pretty good shape. I stuffed it full of items I was keeping, shipped a few boxes, and sold everything else. I drove the car to Minnesota and gave the car to DH because his old car wasn't reliable any more. He's been driving Mom's car for the past 15+ years now.

I've never been fond of Mom's car. Of course, I don't like white cars
up here in the Frozen Northlands. To me, a white car looks like
a portable pile of snow. But DH likes it - it runs and it didn't cost him
anything and the heater works. A total win-win. 

Adding up the numbers above, you can see that Mom's car has aged from a sprightly 10+ years old to a creaky 25+ years old. But the car is still reliable, and he only drives it to work and around the general neighborhood, so no long trips in the car. One of the issues with the car was the ignition key would sometimes stick  and it would take some maneuvering of the steering wheel to get the key to release. But on Saturday night, the key wouldn't release at all.

No tow truck was necessary, thank goodness. We had a spare key, so we were
able to lock the doors despite the fact that the key was in the
ignition. It could have been a lot worse. 

Fortunately, the car was still mobile, so first thing Monday morning I phoned my neighborhood auto repair who has done great work for us in the past and asked if they could shoehorn DH's car into their schedule. We could leave it for the day. They said "Bring it on over," so we did. I suspect DH was envisioning all sorts of electrical work, but we got lucky, in a way. Apparently a linkage cable had snapped. The age of the car made getting a new cable for this an impossible dream, but the car would run fine without the cable, DH would just have to make sure to use care when shifting out of park since he would no longer need to have his foot depressing the brake pedal before the shift would operate.

For a change, an auto repair didn't cause a huge hole
in our money supplies. Even better, I don't have to
play chauffeur for days while we try to get the car
repaired. A total win-win.  

Less than $200 and a disconnected circuit and missing cable later, we picked up a repaired car after work lat night. Transportation balance in my household has once again been established. Hallelujah! One less issue for anxiety. I wonder when we'll have to get something similar done on our bodies as we age. We'll just tell the doctors to disconnect the circuit, pull out the useless cable, and oh ... make sure to keep that medical bill less than $200. Happy Tuesday!!!!