Sunday Was a Lot of Hurry Up and Wait

Sunday was a glorious day - it bordered on too hot by the end of the day, but there was a breeze and periodic fluffy clouds, so all was just about perfect. DH got started on the shed right after breakfast and we worked through until 4:30 in the afternoon, after which we cleaned up and actually went to a restaurant for the first time since April. He was in the mood for a burger and I ended up with a lovely order of fish & chips. Everyone was masked except while eating, and social distancing was practiced. All in all, I think it was a successful first foray into public dining once more. 

This is how things looked at the beginning of the day,
before we got started. The two side pieces of the roof
support are up and bolted into the uprights, but not much
else is done on the section. 

We didn't get as much done on the shed as we wanted. Around 11:00 or so, he started fiddling with measurements and a piece of paper, growling that he needed another massive wood supply purchase. So, off to Home Depot he went, while I settled down at the patio in my chair, enjoying the lovely day under my patio umbrella. 

Here's a straight-on view of the woodshed at the beginning
of the day. I don't think you've seen the center section yet.
That center section is higher than the end bays, and it's going
to hold the smaller branches, etc. He's got a vision going here,
and I'm just enjoying the ride. You can see my cross-fence
neighbor, Bob, in the background mowing his lawn. 

He came back with a LOT of wood, and of course, to put it all away, (some pieces were 12 foot high, so almost to the top of the rafters of the garage) we had to move a lot of wood that already was there and do some rearranging. That was time consuming, but eventually we got all of it done, the new wood stashed, the composite boards next to the plywood, and the extension ladder put back into place. Then it was back to work on the shed, but it was already almost 1:00 pm and time was slipping away. 

By the end of the day, we had finished the roof support
on the second unit, and cut and placed the rafters. We didn't
get the front panel screwed in, and didn't put up the braces for
the rafters that will hold everything together. Right now,
it's holding together with "spit and a prayer" as the old saying goes. 

By the end of the day, we had managed to cut the rafters and finish the framework for the roof support, but it was fiddly work and took far longer than it should have. Even with all of the right tools, etc., things just didn't go smoothly. By the end of the day, when we put everything away and decided to go out to dinner, we had most of the roof done. I still feel we should have put the four screws into the front plate before we quit for the day, but DH was done, so we're relying on the clamps to keep everything secure. 

One thing that I am very happy about is this - I can now wear shoes
properly on my left foot - the first time since the end of April. The
swelling in my broken food has finally reduced enough that I can
fit a shoe back onto my foot without great difficulty. It's an
achievement - LOL. 

So now it's 5:30 am and we have a small storm rushing through. I wanted to put tarps out over the new grass at the base of the woodshed, but it's pitch black and my back door/patio light doesn't extend to that part of the yard, If I can't see to put the tarp down, it's rather a wasted effort, so I'm just hoping the rain won't ruin anything that we needed dry, or cause erosion on the bank where we're trying to grow the grass. The rains will be finished by 8:00 am and we're on the extreme southern edge, but it's still worrying me a bit. 

Have an excellent Monday and I'll be back tomorrow. Remember - be kind, stay well and please, wear a mask. 

Things Are Falling Into Place - Slowly

I received my two new pairs of Keds shoes from Zappos yesterday afternoon. After taking out the foam insert (I always remove them because of my orthotics), I tried the shoes on and ... they FIT! 
It's almost a miracle, getting a set of shoes that fit and are comfortable to wear after only two tries. So, today I'm starting to wear one of the sets to the shop. I'm super happy - a new set of shoes is cause for celebration. 

The new shoes are perfect! The much larger opening allows
for my swollen foot to still fit properly, and the size is
perfect for length too. I'm really happy. I now have two
sets of new shoes that will actually look good! 

I'm totally stressing out about the gym, though. I can't get there until Tuesday (dental appointment on Monday morning conflicts with the gym), but I'm trying to streamline myself as much as possible to be able to get into the pool quickly and leave the gym efficiently. I don't think it's going to be a huge problem, at least not until the winter when more clothing makes speed more difficult. However, I won't have time to waste either. We only have five lanes, and we'll be limited to no more than two people per lane. We're starting an hour later, and we'll be running into the group of people who usually swam at 6:00 am. This has the potential for disaster, but I have to try. My Neoprane ankle brace should be delivered today, that's the final necessary component to getting back into the water. 

I ordered one of these neoprene ankle braces for my
swimming, as well as one other style that's less
brawny for when I'm on the final stages before swimming
without any brace at all. They are due for delivery
today, so I'll be set for the pool on Tuesday. 

Of course there will be no pool toys and accessories available either. No kickboards, no pull bouys, no noodles or flotation belts. I have my own pull bouy, but I usually use a kickboard and I haven't ordered one. I suppose I've resisted ordering one because I can't really use one until I get the final go-ahead from my Podiatrist, and I'm not seeing him until mid-July. But, after more than two months out of the pool, and not a lot of time in it to re acclimate, I'll wish I had a kickboard. I'll use what I have, but I guarantee I'll be SLOW! 

I'm thinking about ordering one of these
kickboards for the pool. It's not expensive
and having my own would resolve any
problems with not having availability.
I'll probably check it out in more detail
at work today and make up my mind. 

Still, I can't really complain. Things are falling into place, slowly, and I'm extremely grateful that if I was going to seriously break my foot, that I did it during Stay-at-Home Quarantine. I had a tough time, but the rest of the world did too, and I think we're all so very anxious to get back to a more open life once again. Now, if we can just do it safely. Have an excellent Friday and I'll be back to wrap up the week tomorrow. 

Ferns, Gravel and the Dentist - Things in Motion

My "old" shoes were returned to UPS yesterday and new shoes are already on their way, set to be delivered today. I'm hoping these will work better with the swelling so that I have shoes I can wear without pain. The shoes I've been wearing don't fit my broken foot properly, so I've been stepping on the back, and it's breaking the shoes (which are very inexpensive Target shoes from three years ago, so not really a tragedy). Still, it would be nice to wear something that actually fits properly. 

The upper back yard is our fern jungle. They're tall - averaging around
5-1/2 feet in the sunny portion. You can see the fenceline in the back.
The fence is six feet tall, and there's not a lot of it visible. My hubby ...
the Fern Whisperer. 

Yesterday was hot, but there was a nice breeze and I was caught up enough with my chores to sit outside on the patio for a while. I thought I'd take a photo of my upper back yard for you. Yes ... ferns. They average between 4-1/2 feet and 5-1/2 feet tall and the fill the entire south side of the yard. Once we're in the north side, we still have ferns, but they're a bit less clumped and slightly shorter (3-1/2 ft to 4-1/2 ft). Behind the ferns is a 6-foot tall fence, but it's hard to see beyond the greenery. My hubby, the "Fern Whisperer". 

DH will start the woodshed construction with several cubic yards
of Class Five gravel from our local construction rock supply company.
He'll probably have them deliver this, it's not a lot of extra dollars, and
it won't mess up the truckbed of the pickup. 

He's starting serious work on the wood shed today and tomorrow. Since it might rain today, he'll order and move a few tons of Class 5 fill tomorrow instead. It's no fun moving tons of stuff in the rain. Tomorrow should be sunny and warm. 

A lot of dentists aren't even accepting clean and check appointments until
there is a vaccine for COVID. I really can't blame them. I'm not sure
about a clean and check right now either, so I may
cancel our appointments. 

We both have dental checkup and clean appointments scheduled for Monday. Word is, however, that the cleaning will be "minimal" with ultrasonic and UV. I'm not sure I want to pay high for low care, so I might cancel my appointment until December, when I hope I would get a good, thorough cleaning and checkup. DH and Chickie are scheduled the same day as I am, and we're all rethinking this visit. I know my dentist could use the money, but I'm super reluctant to pay if I'm not getting the service. The one good point would be ... if I don't go to the dentist, I can get to the gym on the day it opens. That would make me extremely happy. 

So, on that note, have an extremely wonderful Thursday. Stay comfortable, be kind, keep your Social Distancing, and stay safe. I'll be back tomorrow. 

Healing Thoughts, Shoes and Earbuds Recommendation

Thoughts of healing go out to my long-time friend Shirebound today, whose lovely dog Pippin has been fighting an infection and is in care at the Veterinarian. I'm hoping things turn around for poor Pippin quickly. It's always difficult to see the ones you love in pain, and her family has had enough of that this year already. 

I ordered one of the KIDS Bryn Twill shoes instead of
the ones I purchased a few days ago. The toe is much less
covered on this style, and I think my foot will fit the
shoe better. At least, that's the hope. The two I purchased
last week are getting returned today. 

On the shoe front, both pairs of KEDS are being returned to Zappos today, and two different pairs are on their way to me - this time sets with a much different look that I hope will feel better with my crazy feet. This is why I shop for shoes with Zappos - free shipping to me, and free returns to them for a full year! It usually doesn't take me very long to know that a shoe won't fit me properly, but I often will have to try 6-8 pairs before finding one that's good. For those of you with good feet who adore shoes, I envy you. I have horrid feet and can rarely find a pair that actually is comfortable to wear. 

We have a variety of household fans. I use a box fan in
the computer room, and we have two round fans on stands
for the bedroom and living room. There's a desk-top
round fan in the guest bedroom for times when Sharon
comes to visit. 

We're in the middle of a heat wave right now, which leaves things uncomfortable. I think I'll enjoy my grocery shopping later today - the store has air conditioning, and that's very pleasant. I have A/C at my shop too, although we run it as rarely as we can get away with. Our utility bills are through the roof if we run it a lot. My home, however, does not have A/C. We live with fans in the rooms we are more frequently in - the living room, the bedroom and the computer room. The lower levels are usually fairly comfortable, but the upper levels can be an oven at times. Not good, but it's one aspect of summer that I don't like combined with a lot that I love. I'll tolerate no A/C. 

I bought a set of the TOZO wireless bluetooth earbuds on
the recommendation of a friend. I love them and I'm passing
the recommendation on to you. I chose the beige color, and
they're almost invisible in my ears, but they have a variety
of colors available. The sound is great, I get a lot of play
time on a charge, and the recharger is so convenient. 

On the recommendation side, I purchased a set of TOZO T10 Bluetooth earbuds a couple of weeks ago and have been using them a lot. I'm recommending them to you, if you're looking for a good pair, because the price was right and they're working like a dream. They're waterproof  rated IPx8 and I could wear them in the pool, but getting any Bluetooth signal in the pool is always iffy, and since they're wireless, they would be too easy to lose. I have wired headsets for my music and audio books in the pool, and they'll be used again starting on Tuesday when I can return to the gym. (I'd be there on Monday, but I have a dental checkup that conflicts Monday morning.) 

On that note, I'm off to start my day. Have a fabulous one and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Late Night Excitement and Shoe Destruction?

Today is going to be hot and sticky with possible rain, but very high temps. Ick. I'll probably have to sleep with the fan on tonight. I don't really mind the fan, it's comfortable where I have it set up, but it's one more layer of noise to ignore when trying to fall asleep. 

Amber Alerts have saved the lives of children throughout
the nation. I was relieved that this one was resolved so
quickly. There is a similar alert called "Silver" Alert for
the elderly. 

Last night was interrupted by a phone call to the land line sometime after 11:00 pm. DH wandered down the stairs and I asked him if I had heard the phone. He said "Yes. An amber alert has been issued for a child - a black girl." Apparently she was taken from an address quite close to us. He looked out the window and saw a police car passing, but things seemed quiet. We went back to sleep, only to be awakened by the phone again within the hour saying that she had been found. That was a relief, but two interruptions in a night's sleep ... I'll be less than optimally functional today *sigh*. 

The nation-wide Emergency Alert System works for weather
alerts, Amber alerts, Silver alerts, shake alerts for earthquake
zones, and Tsunami alerts where applicable. There are probably
other things included that I don't know about. 

You might be wondering why I didn't get the alert on my cell phone. Apparently they phone the public phone of record, which in our case is the land line. There are a lot of ways to get in touch with me, most of which revolve around my cell phone, but the land line has its' benefits. I tried to look up the Amber Alert case this morning, but they're not updated for last night yet. I'll try to remember to check again later tonight. 

I have a George's Shoes and Repair near my home. If I
can't figure out how to make the shoes work without
clipping the elastic, I may have them remove the elastic
so that they can replace it again later when my foot
has recovered. 

One pair of shoes arrived yesterday and the other is scheduled to arrive today. Then I get to look carefully at the two pairs of shoes tomorrow and figure out whether or not they will work for me. I might need to clip the elastic for comfort. I don't mind doing that, but changing the shoes in any way means I can't return them, so I'm taking things very slow, one step at a time, and trying to not do anything that would void my warranty if I don't have to. 

So, with the exception of the late night excitement, life is relatively boring right now. That's OK, exciting lives really aren't my cup of tea. On that note, I'm ready to have breakfast and start my day. Have an excellent Tuesday and I'll be back tomorrow - Stay Safe! 

The Doctor, The Verdict and The Shoes

So, the Doctor visit. He says I'm doing great! I'm quite happy. I had yet another set of x-rays, this time standing for all of them with my foot bent this way and that. It didn't hurt, and I was able to bear the weight, so I was pumped. After the doc took a look and talked with me, I'm moving up - instructions are:

* crutches can be put away. Done with them!
* I can start wearing an ankle brace (Ace bandage style or a Neoprene style waterproof one for swimming) beginning 15 minutes every hour or so, and moving time up from there.
* I have another appointment for yet another series of x-rays in mid-July.

The Ace Ankle Stabilizer brace is working well. I
wear my orthotic between my foot and the bottom of
the brace. I ordered something similar to this in
neoprene yesterday. It's made for the pool, and the
pool opens on the 22nd. I plan to be swimming
again within 10 days. 

The swelling, although down, isn't totally reduced yet, and that's making things a bit more difficult for me. I talked about getting a set of lace-up boots, which the Dr thought was a great idea, but with my left foot still swollen, it's hard to get a proper fit. I might order some Dr Martens through Zappos and see if I get lucky. I've had my eyes on a pair. Otherwise, I'm going to have to find a shoe that features elastic on the top so I can accommodate the swelling along with a sock and the ankle brace.

Doing a quick search at Zappos, a set of Keds like these
might do well for me. It has that extra elastic on
the sides that will allow for my swollen foot and extra
socks. I might give it a try. 

All things told, though, these are minor problems and I'm well on the way to recovery. So ... I'm pretty darned happy. Doc said I could take off the walking cast when I sleep, so last night was my first try. I ended up working a weird set-up with my orthotic, my Ace ankle brace and the compression bandage and tube sock from the walking cast. But that combo finally held things snugly so that I could walk and lie down without twinges of pain. I guess I'll be using the compression bandage and tube sock for a while longer - not a problem, but it makes standard shoes impossible.

I'm not quite up to dancing the tango yet (or ever,
truth be told), but I'm much better than six weeks
ago, so life is good! LOL

I'll figure things out. My shoes won't be a fashion statement, but if I'm comfortable wearing them and if they last for the summer, I'll be happy. I'm certainly NOT complaining right now. I'm not dancing, but I could ... maybe ... if I needed to - LOL. Have an excellent weekend and I'll be back Monday morning.

Handbags and Shoes

I'm getting better every day, so thanks to everyone for the "OMG - Heal Quickly" messages. All those good thoughts are working and the sharp pains are far more rare now. I think a big part of it is being able to get back into the pool as well as having found one pair of shoes that I can wear comfortably. 

These aren't mine, but I wouldn't mind adding a couple of these
to my collection. I do adore handbags. 

I'm not really a shoe person - probably one reason why I found it so difficult to find a pair when I needed one. But most of my friends could understand having many pairs to choose from - we seem to find clothing accessories to collect, covet, and crowd into our lives. For me it was/is handbags - I love them. If it had been a handbag I had needed, I would have had a much larger selection to choose between. 

Fashion in the 1940's featured matching
shoes and handbags. Here there is also a
matching belt and a fashionable hat. 

My mother was a rather typical 50's housewife - matching shoes, handbag and a pair of complimentary short gloves always available in the glove compartment of her car. Didn't you ever wonder how that compartment in the dashboard of your car got that nickname? Well, there you go. It was the glove compartment - the place for that spare pair of gloves so that you would be properly dressed if you were caught off-guard in an unusual situation. 

Here's a modern twist on matching shoes and handbags. The
print fabric is carried through from the shoes to the bow
on the bag. A bit over-the-top for me - I don't wear
high heels like that. 

I still find myself watching commercials for handbags and shoes. Do they match? Do they compliment the clothing? It's part of styling, but on that Red Carpet, it's often just a simple clutch without flair and many times the shoes are almost hidden by the dresses, although the shoes probably cost more than a month of my pay. 

This is a little closer to things my mother might have
worn (although she would have gone for solid colors). This
set is cute, though. 

But I don't collect shoes. I wear a single pair every day until it wears out, then I find another pair. In the winter I wear Sorrel snow boots in the snow, then change into indoor wear when I arrive at work. The rest of the year I'm usually in slip-ons of some type. (With my orthotic inserts, of course.) It's the inserts that allow me to walk without pain, the shoes only exist as the vehicle to hold the inserts. 

This vintage set, I really like. It's classy, beautifully formed, and the
shoes even look as if they might be comfortable (for about five
minutes). I'd take the handbag in a New York minute, though. It's
a beauty. 

What about you? Do you love shoes or handbags? What's the most expensive pair of shoes you've ever owned? Or maybe just tried on for the sake of trying on one pair of super expensive designer footwear? I'm actually wearing my most expensive pair right now - my Renaissance Festival shoes from Beaver Tracks were more than $300. But I've owned them for more than ten years now and I wear them often. Right now, with this broken toe, they're worth every penny. 

Have a great weekend! Enjoy your days and spend some quality time with friends and family. 

Housecleaning and Shoes

It's a day off for me today, and for a change it won't be snowing. It will be cold, though, so I'll be bundled up in my purple coat because I'm not a fool. A day off will be welcome, though. I'm way behind with housework and I have all these t-shirts from Sunday's cleaning project on my chair waiting for either culling or a home. If I have time, I'm going to continue on that project and start cleaning out my dresser drawers so that I can acquire a pile for Goodwill and re-allocate my drawer space more appropriately. I can try folding my t-shirts using the KonMari Method which allows for them to be stacked into the drawer and visible. Looks good to me, check it out (and many thanks to Dreamflower02 for the suggestion).





I don't have a lot on my agenda today - grocery shopping, catching up with emails, housecleaning (several loads of laundry, changing sheets, washing the kitchen floor, etc), so I'm also going to find myself at my computer getting caught up on things there. I haven't had time to write in forever! Maybe I'll get some things composed this afternoon. I can try.

Continuing with the 365-day Meme ...

Vans shoes may work for me. My Converse slip-on shoes are
almost worn out and I don't have anything else that I can
put on and off with ease. My slippers are beyond pathetic.
Time to spend some money on shoes *sigh*. 

Last thing you wanted but didn't get?

A comfortable pair of shoes and a new set of slippers. It's not that I can't get them, just finding ones that are comfortable with my feet and my orthotics inserts can be very challenging. My orthotics are mandatory if I actually want to be able to walk without pain. I'm on my feet at the shop for much of the day, so comfort is essential. I think I may try and order some Vans from Zappos and see how they work out.

It's so nice to have a lane to oneself, but Rosemary and I share
often and we pace each other really well. 

What mood were you in today?

Obviously whoever compiled this list assumed people would be filling it out at night. Well, I'm filling this out at 4:00 am so my "were in" comprises all of 45 minutes. I'm in a pretty good mood today, though, and I'm hoping that my swim today will be as good as yesterday's was. Usually the pool is more crowded on a Wednesday, though, so I might not get a lane of my own. Swimming is always more efficient for me when I don't have to share a lane with Rosemary.

Lots of people love hummus, but I am not one of them. The
olive oil and other ingredients are too greasy for me and
just end up making me sick. I also find it relatively tasteless. 

What was the last new thing that I tried?

I ate a little bit of hummus yesterday because Chickie gave me her Greek olives and two slices of tomato from the hummus her mother brought her from the Turkish restaurant down the street. I'm not a fan of hummus and that tiny bit that I couldn't scrape from the tomatoes had my stomach in knots for hours afterward. No - not eating that again if I can avoid it.

So there you have three days of catch-up on the Meme which only leaves me a week or so behind. I'm not doing them by the calendar date though, rather I'm working through them with the goal of finishing all 365 prompts by the end of the year. So far, so good. Have a wonderful Wednesday, enjoy the first day of February, and remember - do something kind for someone today. Kindness is never wasted.

Hide and Seek, Negative and Positive

So apparently the economy is doing better and people are back out and shopping again.  But you could fool me.  If I had the store dollars to base an opinion on, I'd say that we are one step from dropping into a hole.  Monday (yesterday) was one of the worst sales days we've ever had in the twenty-five year history of the store.  Wassup With That????  Things need to make a serious turnaround, and quickly.  There is a small bead show in the area this weekend, but usually that one doesn't impact our sales.  I know we have the selection and our prices are really good.  I can't figure it out.  *sigh*

On the other hand, I got my second pair of hi-tops delivered yesterday.  I will try them on this morning and see if they fit better than the first one.  The first pair was too big - too much toe room.  If this second pair fits better/correctly, I'll send the first pair back and I can start the design process.  So that's one good thing that happened yesterday.

Another good thing is my maps.  I ordered six maps yesterday morning from the Bureau of Land Management in Colorado.  These are the detail maps that I will be using for my NaNoWriMo story.  I won't know exactly where I'll put them until I get them I really don't have a lot of open wall space to devote to them) but they were quire inexpensive and will help clarify routes, etc a lot in my mind.  I also found out that three books I needed for some background information are available through the Denver Public Library, so I'll be putting in an interlibrary loan request tomorrow to get those into my hands.  The books are short, so getting all of them at once (if I get really lucky) won't be a problem.

And tomorrow I get to join my friends Chickie and Meaghan for breakfast.  I may not be fortunate in business but I am extremely fortunate in my friends and my employees.  Chickie has been a friend/employee for twenty years and Meaghan only worked two years for me, but we've been friends ever since.  Both of them are quite a bit younger than I am so they also make me feel young (on good days - LOL).

Oh, and my Denver Broncos pulled out a win last night against the San Diego Chargers!  WTG Denver!!!!  Whoop!

Shoes and the Runway

My hi-top shoes arrived from Zappos and I tried them out yesterday morning, walking around the shop. I determined that they were a bit too big for me, so I ordered the next half-size down from Zappos and should have those within a week. Then I can determine which size fits more comfortably and begin working on the stenciling and layout. I love the way the shoes look on and they're going to be so much fun to paint.

I won't be finger painting, but wouldn't it be fun?

How many years ago did you last paint with your fingers?

I've had several of my LJ and RL friends make me a "Buddy" on the NaNoWriMo website. I really appreciate every one of you and have a feeling I'll be needing all of those good feelings and serious pushes about midway through the project. The advice I've gotten from all of you has been totally invaluable and I'm determined that this will be a great experience. I've already warned my beta customer that her items will be delayed during November and she's fine with that, so things are falling into place.

This isn't Project Runway, but each designer will be able

to present ten looks for Fashion Week. Who will win?

Tune in next week to find out.

Next week is the final Project Runway for Season 10 and I'm excited. The collections that each of the designers made and presented last night were very eclectic and beautifully made. I have to agree with the judges that the "wow factor" wasn't there, but I think it will be by the time they have the large runway. My DH watched the Vice Presidential debate instead of Project Runway, but he also said it was a basic waste of time and rather boring. So there we go. He watched politics, I watch 'fashion' - thus the story of our lives - LOL.

Shoes, Beading and Projects

I hate it when I don't have projects perched in my brain because I splash around in my creative pond like a child with water wings. It's silly, but it's my reality. I always have projects in my head - things I want to do, images that I see that I want to bring into reality. Aside from my novel, which I do realize will need a lot of work but I'll begin dealing with that in November, I also have my shoes projects and there is a major beading project that is perching and knocking against my brain.

Sometimes I feel like a vulture just waiting for

my next creative meal.

It's refreshing and pleasant to have a beading project begging for entry. I've been a bead artist for forty years and just don't get excited about a lot any more. But I've had this neckpiece begging to be made and I'm thinking about indulging my muse and allowing myself to do some beading after the end of 2012.

Sherry is a sweetheart and lots of fun. Her talent led

the way for many copycats but her style stands alone.

Large neckpieces have been a style of bead embroidery that has been very popular for the past few years. Popularized by Sherry Serafini and Heidi Kummli, I've seen hundreds of these over the past five years and very few of them have garnered more than one glance from me. The project that I see in my head will require me to make some glass for it, and will also use some unique Czech Republic glass. If I do it properly it will be a lovely homage to the Goddess, if I don't do it well, it will join the ranks of boring. I'll have to actually do some serious design work before settling this out to work on.

Heidi Kummli also has a unique atyle and beautiful sense

of what beads can do. The detail picture give you just

the idea of what bead sculpture is all about.

My shoes arrived from Zappo yesterday. I'll unpack them today and put my orthotic inserts in. If they are comfortable to wear, I'll keep them. If not, I'll send them back and get the next largest size. You can never tell about a shoe until you have it on your feet. But I can start the design work for them. I'm really happy!

Painting Dreams and Holiday Cards

A friend posted these shoes yesterday and they totally took over my thoughts. I fell in love. I fell in love enough that I bought a pair of high-top Converse shoes from Zappo and they are on their way to me. Yesterday afternoon was spent with small, stolen moments at my computer researching a variety of paints and techniques for painting on canvas shoes. I'm torn between using the air brush or a hand-held brush, but I think I know what paints I want to use. Yeah! I'm gonna paint myself some shoes - LOL.

I don't know who originally painted these, but I want a pair for

myself. So...shoes ordered, air brush ready, now to decide exactly

what images I want...

I figure it will give me something to do after NaNoWriMo because I know that life goes on after November and I also know that it is wise to put writing projects away for a few weeks when completed before the editing process starts. So now I will have something to do after my holiday cards.

Speaking of holiday cards, although they may be late this year, I have the image clear in my head and would love to send one to you - yes YOU! PM me with your address and I'll add you to my list. I don't require any in return, my joy is in the making. I have, however, received some totally amazing and beautiful cards from my friends in the US and other nations and they are always appreciated, if not mandated :-) DON'T BE SHY. I love making these even though my equipment always makes me growl. This will be my third year of sending cards world-wide to LJ friends. I hope it will be my best card ever!

We're cold now, the bright leaves have dulled down, but if the sky is mostly blue and I have a beautiful sunrise and/or sunset, it's hard for me to be depressed. I'll save my depression (which is bound to hit a few times) for the grey days of winter. I love winter, I love those amazing days when the sun makes the snow sparkle like a field of diamonds scattered across the ground and the grasses poking up like strands of molten gold. Such beauty! But...grey days are very hard for me and I hate shoveling snow (although the exercise is not a bad thing). So, I'm clinging with my fingernails to autumn and hoping that we don't really see much snow before Thanksgiving and, even better, Christmas. A girl can dream...right?