Faith, Works and Crafts

Bed Time

2011-07-09T19:26:00.000-04:00

Up! Down! Up! Down!

Twist and turn and toss.

Bounce and look over your shoulder

At your sleeping companion and ask

“Are we there yet? Have we found it?”

This is only one store we’ve been in.

Innerspring to the right.

Memory foam to the left.

And don’t forget the hybrids

And the adjustable mattresses, too.

Firmness, plushness, and warranty,

Construction and materials used.

Delivery? Set-up? Free haul-away?

Ok, I’m officially confused.

Queen size is all that will fit the room

But look at the space on that king.

Do we really need the wardrobe,

The dresser, the tables, the door?

Massage will just give me a headache

But it’s nearly heaven for him.

Feet up, head up, flat out,

With the push of a button

He changes position again,

And I come along for the ride.

My head hurts!

July 9, 2011

SONNY

2011-01-29T19:33:00.000-05:00

Dancing, dancing, dancing on legs that are straight and long,

I can hear him singing with a voice that is pure and strong;

The Gates of Heaven have opened and Sonny has come home

To walk with his Lord forever, where he has always belonged.

He was born not perfect in our sight, twisted and halt from the start.

Some who thought they were wise suggested a special home would be smart.

But Sonny was embraced by his family, by sisters who were always there;

He wasn’t tucked away in some corner, hidden and shunned in his chair.

He never ran or danced in this life; he never played football or hit a home run;

He never did a lot of things we take for granted; but Sonny was always SOMEONE.

He was out and about in the home town, appearing at many an affair;

From parades to the paving of sidewalks, look around and Sonny was there.

At the start he would shove that old wheeled chair his mother had labored to make

Backwards through house and on sidewalks, looking over his shoulder to navigate.

Then modern technology and helping hands intervened to allow Sonny to move

Forwards instead of backwards in the electric chair he came to love.

Constrained only by the strength of the battery Sonny would wander the streets

In his marvelous electric wheelchair loaded with umbrella, drinks, and treats.

Weather was the only curtailment, along with his sisters’ decrees,

That limited Sonny’s excursions along those McMechen streets.

Winter meant Sonny stayed indoors when the weather got messy and cold,

But Sonny had loads of companions and TV shows that never seemed old.

Spring, summer, and fall he would make the break and escape womanly care for a time.

He was safe on the streets of McMechen but his sisters never knew what they’d find.

He carried the mailbag for the mailman; Lou was his friend for so many years.

They paved an alley for Sonny so he could visit his friend Ed without fears.

Sonny was part of the city and part of more than one church, too.

There were always strong arms to lift him and put his chair alongside a pew.

So Sonny and his sisters grew older, and the four sisters were now down to two.

Hard choices were made by the family and Sonny’s wandering days were through.

But he found new friends in the Care home and for a time was joined by sister Ruth.

Sonny had new halls to wander, new faces, new women, new foods.

As in every life there were good times and bad;

There were struggles, joys, laughter and tears.

But this last little boy of the Walton’s

Fully lived every one of his seventy-eight years.

Dancing, dancing, dancing on legs that are straight and long,

I can hear him singing with a voice that is pure and strong;

The Gates of Heaven have opened and Sonny has come home

To walk with his Lord forever, where he has always belonged.

In memory and celebration of my uncle,

Charles E. “Sonny” Walton, Jr.

September 27, 1932 – January 29, 2011

Roof Racer

2010-08-20T09:28:00.000-04:00

Roof Racer

Gallump, gallump, gallump, gallump!
No little cat's paws tiptoe on my roof
As the midnight roof racer chases his invisible shadow
From porch roof to house peak and over the ridge.

Gallump, gallump, gallump, gallump!
Black on black with golden eyes he watches me
As I, foolish human that I am, try to tempt him
Back to ground level as he sits aloof on the steep incline.

Gallump, gallump, gallump, gallump!
"Watch me, watch me, Lady! I am up soooo high!"
He swats a twig down the slope and gallops
From peak to flat porch roof to meow pitifully.

Gallump, gallump, gallump, gallump!
Back to the peak and chase the cardinal,
Back to the porch roof to tease the Lady.
Braveheart has no fear except not being watched.

Gallump, gallump, gallump, gallump!
Daylight and the pathway down is revealed.
Over the arbor and through the evergreen
Down to the ground and look up asking plaintively "Feed me now?"

8/16/2010
M.C. MacFadyen

Another up all night

2010-06-05T05:14:00.001-04:00

Hi, y'all. Things have improved medication wise but I still have bouts of insomnia. Tonight is one of those nights. I slept about an hour and a half then was wide awake again. Tried a few things with no luck so I left the bed and sleeping husband and cats and came in to the computer.

Some good news! The two female kittens were adopted last weekend. I learned a new description for tortoiseshell cats. The little boy who claimed her says she is a camouflage cat. I think that is so cute!

So we are left with the two now 12 week old black male kittens. One is still being called Braveheart. The other has earned the name Pantclimber - no explanation required but you better be wearing long pants around him. He loves to be cuddled and turned on his back to have his little belly and chest scratched. Lady Jane is still with them and us. She takes them out on overnight hunting trips and brings them back in time for meals. The great-nieces and nephews love coming over to play with the kittens. I have tied jingle balls on the ends of dowel rods and they play "fishing for kittens" under the big evergreen bush by the back porch.

Marco, one of our indoor males, got out today when DH was putting the dog out. He just scooted underneath her and around her legs and out the door. DH told me when I called him during my lunch break. I told him not to worry, Marco will be back. Sure enough, about a half hour later DH called back and said he went to the back door and opened it and in dashed Marco. Fool cat has it good in the house and gets scared everytime he goes out but he still does it. I think the kittens scared him today. He sees them thru the screen on the door and has even been nose-to-nose with them at various times - but up close and personal those little things can be pretty frightening!

VBS starts June 14th. With the medication problems I am running behind on craft preparation but I will have things done in time. All supplies except the last few bottles of glue have been purchased and the few extras I need like moist wipes and paper towels, etc. I hope I have the necessary energy to get thru the week.

My energy has improved on the Cymbalta and my aches and pains are less than they were. But the insomnia can still leave me dragging or else the sleep medication leaves me groggy and unsteady for hours in the morning. But the lovely side effect of loss of appetite continues. I rarely experience any hunger pangs and have no interest in snacking. In fact, DH has to remind me to eat. Unfortunately, I also don't ever feel full or satisfied after eating. Go figure.

Wide Awake at 2:30 a.m.

2010-05-01T02:47:00.000-04:00

I have been going thru some medication changes in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, both the med I have just weaned off of and the new one I am just starting have a side effect in common - insomnia. I seem to be experiencing the side effect on the new one, too. If this keeps up I'll just stay awake all the time except for little naps which do not rejuvenate me. The side effect I would like to happen - decreased appetite - may be showing itself also. That one I could live with. I often wonder if the medications are worth the side effects. I should have left well enough alone but now I have to go thru with something. More doctor visits coming up.

The kittens will be 7 weeks old on Sunday. They are active and loving little things and I will hate to give them up but I cannot have any more cats. We have several too many now. I have taken to calling the two "black" ones Bravehearts as they were the first to do most things and were the first to venture along the sidewalk in the back yard. One of the two just loves to be cuddled and will climb pant legs to get picked up. The tortie has become quite adventursome also. She was the last born and was a little runty at first but has caught up with the others and holds her own quite well in competition for food and playing. We discovered them on top of the concrete block wall between our house and our neighbors on the north this morning. I watched until I figured out how they were doing it and then removed the climbing aids. If one of them should fall off the wall on the wrong side it would never make it back on its own and Lady Jane is not always around to fetch a wanderer back home.

Last night Lady Jane deposited a gift at the back door for the kittens. Thankfully the chipmunk was deceased when I found it and disposed of it. I am glad she is training them but could do without the gifts.

Well, the cup of hot chocolate may have worked. Back to bed to try sleeping again.

We Are Cat

2010-04-12T18:54:00.005-04:00

One month old and already very much Cat!

Three of the 4 have started eating either dry or canned food. The little tortie has not quite decided such things are edible. They just came out from under the porch this weekend and both Lady Jane and I are not quite certain we like this new development. They were safe and contained and now they are loose!

VBS Egypt beginnings

2010-03-31T16:38:00.023-04:00

I got my last outstanding order for craft supplies for VBS Egypt today. (The full title is Egypt - Joseph's journey from prison to palace.) I have been having a good time planning the crafts and ordering supplies. There are still a few things I need but I will probably purchase most of them locally.

I made a senet game box from a baseball card storage box. The sample looks nice and I think both kids and adults will have fun making them. I have heiroglyphic stamps we can use to decorate the playing board as well as the sides. I am also considering using a heiroglyphic font and printing out stickers the kids can use on the playing board. We will use flat back glass stones for the gaming pieces. I still need to decide what we will use for the throwing sticks.

I have also crocheted two beaded headdresses and may make more. I may also try just a headband with beads crocheted into it. The kids will make simpler headbands from fun foam and will have "jewels" to glue on as well as beads to dangle down in strings.

And I have made several beaded collar style necklaces that the leaders can wear. I am enjoying making these from my stash of beads and memory wire. Some of the beads are from disassembled garage sale necklaces and some are from costume jewelry I have inherited from various relatives. I am also still using the large supply of plastic beads I inherited from my grandmother.

The kids will make their broad collars from material which I have yet to locate and purchase and the quilling paper I have purchased. The collars should be really colorful. We may use some of the "jewels" left over from the headbands on these as well.

The older children will make their own cuff bracelets using pony beads and memory wire. The younger children will use pony bead bracelet forms I found on-line. The order I received today was 8000 pony beads in gold, copper, turquoise, and pearl colors. I have other pony beads as well that can be used but I really wanted the gold and turquoise beads for these and the headdresses.

I never realized until I was researching online that red was not a favored color in Egypt. The Egyptians actually liked black more than red because black represented the good soil deposited each year when the Nile flooded. Red, on the other hand, was the color of the desert sand.

I still need to purchase the oven-bake clay for the cartouche necklaces but I know what I want to use for these. Sister Beth told me the kids (and adults) really enjoyed making the clay necklaces last year. They always enjoy something they can wear or make for a relative. I want to find the same stone colored clays I did last year to make their cartouche necklaces.

I hope to have a few quick and easy crafts for the kids who show up early as I usually try to do. We usually do four nights of crafts and have the pizza party on the last night so there is only time to finish up crafts on Friday. So the planned crafts will most likely be the senet game box; the broad collars; beaded/jeweled headbands (and maybe armbands); and the cartouche necklace. The extra crafts will probably include the pony bead bracelets and fun foam picture frames (we plan on taking pictures of the kids and printing them out right at VBS) that can also be decorated with heiroglyphics and quilling paper. We also hope to be able to use face paints to give the kids Egyptian eyes on one or two (or all five) nights if possible.

Now, if I can just make it through without any major health issues for either DH or me. That is going to be the challenge. Prayers, please.

Hail, was that fun or what?

2010-03-22T17:53:00.011-04:00

1, 2, 3, ...4!

2010-03-20T11:02:00.005-04:00

There are 4 kittens and, as cats will, Lady Jane moved them the other day. At first we were not sure where she went but knew that she was close as she still showed up for meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!

We have now discovered she and kits are behind the garbage can under our bedroom window. The can is one we do not use and there is a stack of concrete blocks there as well as other materials forming a nice little den as long as it does not rain. Rain is predicted for late tomorrow, of course. So I made her another shelter out of a covered litter pan and placed it close to the garbage can hoping she will see fit to move into it when the rains come.

And in the continuing saga of DH and my "conditions", I tripped going UP the basement stairs yesterday and injured the large toe on my left foot, and I already have what is probably a heel spur on my right foot. So I limp on both feet right now. LOL.

VBS crafts are progressing nicely, too. We are doing Joseph in Egypt so I have been looking for alternative ways of making the crafts offered by the company as I usually do. I am making a senet game box from a baseball card storage box and quilling paper. I have a set of hieroglphyic stamps and we will order a few more sets and use those to decorate the boxes along with some metallic quilling paper as well. I am really pleased with this so far. It will make a nice sturdy treasure box for the children to keep after VBS.

I am also crocheting Egyptian headdresses, the kind with long bead fringes. I have used gold metallic crochet cotton and pony beads in various colors to make multicolored headdresses as I have not been anywhere to purchase just gold beads yet. This will not be a kids craft as it is. We will make a simpler version with the children. Probably a headband of some sort with strings of beads, either pre-strung beads or pony beads they tie on themselves.

We are also going to make the broad collars out of light weight material and metallic quilling paper cut into squares, diamonds, jewel shapes. This should be a nice craft for the kids as they will get to use scissors and glue. I plan on having plenty of hand-wipes available for both this and the senet game box.

The other nice craft I am planning is a cartouche necklace out of oven-bake clay and using the hieroglyphic stamps to stamp a version of the child's name into the clay.

I am hoping to get the rest of the VBS shopping done soon so all will be ready before the beginning of June and we can concentrate on the decorating which has so many possibilities!

New Life

2010-03-14T09:01:00.003-04:00

Spring is almost here! The daffodils along Mom & Dad's driveway have broken thru the ground and are climbing higher. Until the recent wind many of them were wearing leaf caps. I found a small bunch of blooming volunteers in my yard in one of Sassy's favorite spots. They look like a flower that grows from bulbs so I wonder where they came from. Temperatures have moderated and the snow is mostly gone and the gutters have unfrozen. We have had some rain and now worries about the creeks and river are being voiced.

And Lady Jane, the cat who adopted us this past winter, has delivered three kittens in the winter shelter we made for her on the back porch.

She was supposed to go to the local animal shelter before this happened but I have been battling a cold or sinus or allergy problems and then last week we lost Sassy so I have not been functioning as I should.

Three more kittens! Lord, have mercy.

Thank you

2010-03-13T08:46:00.003-05:00

I want to thank everyone for their sympathy comments about Sassy.

She was my dog for 16 years and I will miss her for a long time. I have no children of my own but do have wonderful nieces and nephews and their families that I love very much. But Sassy was my baby. She was conceived on my birthday during a birthday party that we still talk about. She and her littermates were born in my sister's bedroom closet with family watching. Four of the litter stayed in the family: my Dad's dog, Sam; Beth's dog Sugar; Nancy's dog Peaches; and my Sassafras. Only Peaches remains now.

Sassy had been losing ground for a few months and had had an episode that may have been a seizure or stroke a few days earlier in the week. Saturday morning she seemed okay, she ate, and took care of business as usual but did not want to leave my side. Then she started yelping and could not walk. We got her to the vet within an hour but she died before the vet could do anything. The vet said it was probably more strokes. Both Joe and I were with her petting her and holding her until we realized she was already gone. I miss her. I still look for her when I get up in the night or when I hear someone else's collar jingle. My baby.

"Just a Dog" is an expression of grief and a rebuttal to all those people who say "well, it was just an animal, not a person." She and all the other loved pets are more than "just" anything.

Thank you all again.

Just a Dog

2010-03-06T18:30:00.002-05:00

Just a Dog

She was just a dog, my Sassafras,
The only one of the litter who looked like her mother, long and lean and fast.

She was just a dog, my hollow-dog,
Pat her on the side of the ribs and she sounded like a loaf of bread fresh from the oven.

She was just a dog who followed from the front,
And stood in the way and didn’t come when she was called unless food was involved.

She was just a dog, all skin and bones,
Who shivered during thunder storms and shook the bed and barked at the wind.

She was just a dog who liked to sleep between
So we called her sandwich-dog because she was the filling at night in bed.

She was just a dog, my Sassyfrassy,
Who would wait at the front door for me to come home even when Pa was home.

She was just a dog, a worry-wort like me,
Who told me when the microwave dinged or the cat was where it shouldn’t be.

She was just a dog we called jack-rabbit
Because she could jump as high as the fence, but never jumped over it.

She was just a dog who loved to ride in the car
And feel the wind in her nose and barked at everything she saw.

She was just a dog who thought she owned the world
As far as she could see or smell and had to protect her people from everyone, everywhere.

She was just a dog who got old
After sixteen years of being my faithful, loving companion no matter what.

She was just a dog who loved me.

She was just a dog.

For Sassafras, March 6, 2010

Ice Scuptures

2010-02-21T08:38:00.013-05:00

The snow has ended temporarily at least and the sun has come out to warm our hearts and streets and sidewalks - and aid in the further creation of ice dams in the gutters that are unfortunately causing some so far minor indoor problems. But the wonderful outdoor creations are what I concentrated on on Friday. Ice sculptures by nature.

Somewhere in the above photo is a single tall weed that has been coated in ice from water dripping off the frozen gutter overhead.

The above photo and the two following are ice that has fallen from the frozen gutters and from around the window frames.

When we drive thru town on our way somewhere I am fascinated by all the icicles I see hanging from the eaves of buildings and homes and from some overhead wires. So many houses have ice dams along the roof edges. With our own troubles with ice dams right now I pray for all the people in those houses, too. Water - so essential and so troublesome.

We have a leaks/leaks in the smaller bedroom we use for an office. Everytime we leave the room we cover all electrical (computer, etc) with plastic sheeting in hopes of preventing any tragedy. So far the leaks have confined themselves to the front window (where the ice dam is) and a few small drips elsewhere. Yesterday DH and I went to the attic (he went all the way, I stayed on the folding stairs and handed him stuff). Not altogether bad. Found the leak. Found a huge wasp nest (not currently active).

Today we will have to try to do something to break thru the ice dam and let the water drain off the roof. The gutters are completely frozen. Have read some things on line and think we will try snow melter filled socks or pantyhose tossed on the edge of the roof and allowed to hang over. Supposed to melt a channel thru the ice to allow water to flow off the roof instead of damming up behind the ice. Worth a try. If we do it, I'll have to take pictures of socks and pantyhose hanging off the roof.

Snowbird

2010-02-14T11:18:00.002-05:00

Spiffy

2010-02-08T17:39:00.005-05:00

Got a couple of cute pics of Sassy in her "spiffy" sweater after shoveling the sidewalk yesterday. Lady Jane put her appearance in too. She followed me across the sidewalk as I was shoveling slowly toward Mom and Dad's. Every time I stopped she sat down and meowed at me until I started shoveling again. I guess she wanted the path cleared so she did not have to "walk" in the snow (more like wade through it). Nancy and Richard came down and cleaned off Dad's vehicle so I only had the sidewalk to Mom and Dad's, our front steps and walk, a small path to the street, and our vehicle to clear off. I took my time and enjoyed the scenery.

The last big storm we had there were any number of younger, stronger souls out in the neighborhood asking if they could clear walks for cash. This time I did not see anyone walking with a shovel. Thankfully, several neighbors have yard tractors or ATV's with plows, etc., and took care of the street (and Dad's driveway, thank you). I did not even see or hear kids out sledding this time. I remember sled riding down the lane when we lived "on the hilltop" and getting soaked to the skin and loving it. Today the kids stay indoors and play videogames. Times change.

Today both DH and I went to the doctor. He has been in misery this weekend with another bad headache and pain all down his left side from hip to foot. Diagnosis - sciatica. So he got a cortisone shot and Rx for pain meds and was told not to go to work at least tomorrow. I got another "gentle" probing of my bursa in the left hip and Zipsor samples and Rx to fill later. The doctor also talked me into trying a fibromyalgia medication called Savella. He gave me a two-week starter sample of the Savella as well as an Rx for it. Read up on both online and does not sound too bad for side effects so going to give it a try. Both the doctor and I think the bursitis could be partially fibro pain or could be triggering some fibro pressure points. I know I really hurt right now - worse than I have in a few years.

Weather prediction for the next few days says another 4-8 inches of snow is on its way. They already cancelled school in a number of local counties.

After the Storm

2010-02-07T10:23:00.011-05:00

The snow finally stopped falling yesterday afternoon although it was flurrying when I got up this morning. Today we will have to dig out - sidewalks and steps but not Dad's driveway as some kind soul has done that for us. A newscaster yesterday estimated that a 10 foot by 40 foot driveway with the snowfall we have had (8-14 inches) comes out to about 5400 pounds of snow to be removed.

Took some pictures thru the bedroom window yesterday and this morning.

It was beautiful coming down and piling up as long as no problems developed. DH and I and Mom, Dad and Beth all stayed home. But Jen had to work Friday and Saturday. The last I heard she stayed near work overnight Friday and would stay again last night if need be. Hope to hear more of her story soon. I have to wonder if the store even had any customers on Saturday - a level 3 alert in that county means no one on the road unless it is an emergency.

DH has another bad headache today. We had hopes that the neurologist was right and the medicine he prescribed would take care of the headaches but today he is in real pain again. And I have bursitis in my left hip. The hip and leg had been getting progressively sorer for a few weeks and at my regular check-up last Monday I told the doctor. He gave me a cortisone shot and said let him know if not better in a week. Well, it was a little better for a day or so but still really giving me a hard time so I guess I have to call tomorrow - especially after we do the shoveling and car clean-off today.

Took some photos of the snow but am missing the one of my dog Sassy in her "spiffy" (DH's description) new sweater. Sassy is and always has been so skinny. I call her my hollow dog as she sounds like a drum when you pat her on the ribs. She also has had some health problems this year and I recently bought her two winter sweaters. She adapted to wearing them very easily and even wears them in the house when it is really cold out. I got a picture of her in one of the sweaters but still need to get the "spiffy" picture.

The outdoor cat who adopted us has hung around through all the bad weather. I made her a better winter shelter (not what you see in the picture) and have filled it with pine and cedar chip bedding that she can snuggle down into. She smells like cedar now and I wonder if that will have any impact on her hunting. She spends time over at Mom and Dad's too on either of their porches. I broke down and began feeding her when it snowed the last time and have continued to give her dry food and a bit of canned on the colder days. She is now known as Lady Jane Grey. Very friendly and loving once she is certain you mean her no harm.

Beginning to plan for Vacation Bible School this coming June. The theme this year is Joseph in Eqypt. Looks like fun but I am not shaving my head to get in character. I may wear the eye make-up though. LOL.

I'm Still Around

2010-01-02T07:39:00.004-05:00

I have been remiss in posting. Got out of the habit during the time I could not be on-line on my own computer and so much has been going on since we got the new computer that I have not gotten back into the habit.

Happy New Year to all! And thanks to Linda for reminding me I have friends out there who care about what happens to me and mine.

Lets see ... since my fall experience - which I am still recovering from, not as young as I used to be and those pesky bruises have left some deep seated pains behind - DH has had cataract surgery which went very well, he continues to get good reports on his PSA and blood sugar has improved too.

We have been adopted by another cat who is NOT NOT NOT coming in the house. She is a sweet grey and white bundle with a nice thick coat and must be getting food somewhere as she has been with us several weeks now and is still nicely padded along her ribs. We have provided a warm shelter for her as it has been very cold recently. In spite of no food from us she comes running up to us and purrs and even rubs against the dogs who have accepted her presence too (resignedly, I think).

Sassy, my going on 15 year old dog appears to have had a stroke just this past week. We came home from shopping Tuesday night and she was having balance problems and weakness in her rear legs. She had been fine that morning. Wednesday I took time off from work and got her to the vet who diagnosed stroke and gave her a steroid shot and other injections as well and gave me pills for her nausea. There has been improvement and she should continue to get better over the next several weeks from what the vet said and what I have read on-line. She finally started eating a little again last night and this morning is not looking so miserable. She was drinking fluids all the time so I was not too worried (sure, I wasn't) but am relieved she is showing interest in food and keeping it down again.

There are so many more things that have gone on but I don't want this to turn into a litany of woes (too late).

So on the brighter side - I have taken another step into the electronic age and have a digital photo frame which I figured out how to use by myself and an mp3 player the size of a credit card that also displays photos, videos, etc. I even discovered that my little mp3 player will plug into my bedside clock/radio/cd player and play through the speakers. I feel so empowered (lol).

I have a cell phone and have, with some trepidation, learned how to text and add minutes to it. Now I have to figure out how to clean up old messages I no longer want (just have not taken the time to do it).

I am still taking photos but not on a steady basis. The recent snows have provided some good shots.

I have let my hair grow for the first time in my adult life and now have hair that reaches below my shoulders (almost below my shoulder blades I think but hard to tell looking in the mirror myself). I want to get it trimmed/cut into layers that sweep back from my face and bangs to camo what I think of as a high forehead. All I need is the courage to let someone do it to me.

There were a lot of good and wonderful things that happened in the last year. There were also some not so good and wonderful things that we have survived. I'm sure the new year will be the same. Looking forward to new joys and challenges.

I can't fly

2009-10-02T12:18:00.002-04:00

but I can fall!

Thursday morning, the 1st of October, was an experience I hope never to repeat. DH left for work between 4:30 and 5 a.m. as usual. I did not get up until about 5:30. I had done laundry that had not been brought up from the basement yet so I was going downstairs to get clothes for work. Somehow, someway, some something, my foot slid off the top step and I went all the way to the basement concrete floor. I remember grabbing for handholds all the way down and screaming. Halfway down I thought I had caught myself but then went the rest of the way and ended up on the floor at the bottom with my legs still on the steps.

Alone in the house except for cats and dogs at 5:45 in the morning and no one to know what happened until at least 8 a.m. when I was due to walk across to Mom and Dad's for Dad to take me to work. I could have been there for hours.

I got up and walked away from it!

A gallon plastic bottle of weed killer accompanied me down the steps from its place on a ledge to the right and that is what the back of my head landed on instead of the concrete. I also managed to miss the garden weasel tool that was at the foot of the steps with all its lovely spikes (it has been moved since).

I have bruises and scrapes that are developing "nicely" but no broken bones or even sprains in my wrists or ankles.

I still went to the other end of the basement and got my clothes for work then went back up the stairs and took my blood pressure (147/92) then went back down the basement stairs for looser clothing and then took a shower before I came to the conclusion that I needed to go to the emergency room. So I called sister Beth on her cell phone - got voicemail. I called on the land line and she answered on the first ring. She had heard the cell phone but could not get to it before it went to voicemail. Within 45 minutes of falling I was at the hospital and being checked out. My pressure was higher there (white coat syndrome contribution) but the doctor concluded that all my injuries were soft tissue and no bones were broken.

Today I am really, really, really sore but still not as sore as I had thought I would be. A nurse called from the hospital to follow up this morning and I told her I wasn't screaming - just grunting when I move.

Most of my injuries are to my arms from the stair rail and the post at the bottom. I also strained and bruised my ribs on the right side. I feel it from my neck to my butt and also my right leg as I did scrape my knee (nothing near as spectacular as Jen's boy did on the playground) and bruises around the knee as well. Even my toes hurt.

But I GOT UP AND WALKED AWAY!

After we left the emergency room Beth and I went to breakfast and then to Wal-Mart to pick up some cold packs and such. The man at the checkout asked how we were and Beth told him what had happened to me. He expressed his concern and said after something like this happens he always asks people what they learned from the experience. I told him I learned that God loves me - He sent that gallon plastic bottle down the steps with me for my head to land on instead of the concrete and I GOT UP AND WALKED AWAY.

Thank you Lord.

Good News!

2009-09-30T06:02:00.002-04:00

The eye doctor says my eye is improving. His words were to the effect that there is very little swelling left and I am one of the lucky ones. I don't go back to see him for a month. So I made arrangements for my next appt to be the same day as DH's cataract surgery since he will have the surgery in the morning and be back at the dr's office that same afternoon. Life has been so interesting for the past year or so.

Quiet Time

2009-09-26T06:24:00.002-04:00

Haven't done much with the new computer yet. No photos downloaded from the camera or music to work with. Using just the programs that came with the computer when we bought it right now and trying to wait for the Windows 7 upgrade in October. We are hoping to have a better experience that way for the install. Vista seems to be fighting with our Brother printer, too. If we leave the printer on all the time, it works. If we turn it off and then back on when the computer is already on the printer has been locking up on its boot. Went to the Brother site and found out about updated drivers but have not done anything further yet.

I go back to the opthamologist on Tuesday afternoon. The last appt went well from my perspective. I thought my eye was not much different from before. He seemed surprised I said that and I got the impression he was seeing more damage internally. I suppose since I live with it every day I don't really notice small changes. I still think I am not seeing any worsening of the shadow. I do get a little dizzy sometimes after looking back and forth at the computer screen at work and at the papers I am working from. Could be the eye or could be my vertigo saying hello again. OTC meclazine(?) takes care of it.

In further developments, DH is going to have cataract surgery in October - right before his 60th birthday. He goes for pre-op on the 21st and surgery on the 27th. He is also supposed to get his driver's license renewed before the 30th of October. The eye doctor says he "should" be able to pass whatever eye test the DMV has people taking now.

Missing posting photos. Missing taking photos. Missing playing with photos and music. Looking forward to getting everything computer wise straightened out soon. Missing going yard saleing. This summer got lost with the surgery and recovery period.

And Life Goes On

2009-09-12T07:38:00.002-04:00

Thanks for the welcome back from Jen, Kim, and Linda. I really missed you all. Kim, I need a new invite to your "new" blog as the old one expired.

Our lives have been so interesting lately that I often think of the blessing/curse "May you live in interesting times." I would settle for some boredom right now (but not too much, Lord).

Some wonderful things have happened since January. We finally were able to get a newer vehicle thanks to DH's temporary VA benefits (lemonade from lemons). We got new TVs for the living room and bedroom (he can watch football and I can watch HGTV, NGEO, etc.). And of course the new computer. We have been eating out more often (I love that part) and eating better, too. There are other good/nice/wonderful things, too.

But what stands out right now are the challenges.

You know how much I look forward to Vacation Bible School each year. I love doing the crafts with the children and plan all year long to have good, easy, enjoyable, keepable crafts for them. This year I made it all the way to the Friday before the week of VBS. I had a regular doctor appt that day and DH and I went together (any excuse to take time off work). I mentioned to the doctor that I had had an upset stomach the day before and unusually for me I did actually upchuck. He said at first that it was probably just a gastro-intestinal virus. But as he was almost out the door he turned back and said "You know what, my wife had symptoms like this and it turned out to be appendicitis." Since he was going to be out-of-town for the weekend he wanted me to go over to the hospital and have tests done right then so we could rule out any problems with the appendix. That same night I had surgery to remove my appendix. That was June 12.

I missed all of VBS and dear sister Beth and niece Jen had to take over the crafts. They did a wonderful job but I will not hear the end of it for a long long time (probably every time it gets close to a new VBS).

I then spent the next month recuperating. I had hoped to get back to work quickly as we had just had a new database installed the same week as my surgery and I needed to be there to learn it the same time as everyone else. No such luck. My appendix was not in the "normal" location so I was not able to have the scope surgery but had to have the old-fashioned full incision so the pesky thing could be located and removed safely (Thank you, Lord, for CAT scans so they did not have to go poking around too much). So I did not get back to work even part-time until a month after the surgery. Part of the incision did not want to close and I have had to continue doctoring for it.

Two months later it has finally healed ... just in time for the next part of the saga.

Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy ... I have developed a "shadow" in my right eye that the opthamoligist says is due to this four word condition. It just happened this past week and I got to the eye doctor the next day. There are at least two versions of this thing and I seem to have the less nasty of the two ... the non-arteritic form rather than the arteritic or giant cell version which can be really bad. But I have lost part of the vision field in my right eye and there is a chance it could get worse or even appear in the left eye in the future. There is also a chance it could improve somewhat over the next few months. A little depressed right now but coming to terms with it. At this point I still have good forward vision and hope to retain that. As long as the shadow does not spread it should not impact my reading, computer useage, or photography too much. Driving should not be a problem (if DH ever gets my car running again - it has not been driven since my surgery).

So life does go on and we are enjoying as much of it as we can. There are wonderful things every day. Clouds and sunshine that just take my breath away (I love light and shadow playing together). The cats running around the house in insane antics (and DH and I have the wounds to prove it). Children and babies (almost always make me smile). Flowers and trees and even insects (isn't the imagination of the Lord wonderful!). We will prevail.

Hello, Hello, Hello

2009-09-06T07:31:00.003-04:00

I'm back at last!

We got the computer virus and spyware infestations in January and have been unable to safely go on-line since then until just recently. The solution for us was a new computer so I am now adjusting to Vista and will soon have to re-adjust to Windows 7 when it comes out as we get a free up-grade.

The old computer was gone over by our computer savy nephew and he succeeded in taking care of most of the problems but some remained. He told us the solution may be to reformat the hard drive so we have been saving files (photographs! music! crafts! and so much more!). But when it came time to do the reformat we lost courage. So we will be asking him to help us once more.

I have missed you all! It was difficult to try to get computer time elsewhere and I have had to read blogs on the sly and not very often.

It has been such an "interesting" time for us. So much to share. But right now I want to catch on what I have missed on your blogs.

Computer Troubles

2009-01-19T12:15:00.001-05:00

We have been down since Jan 1 with virus and spyware. Doing this brief post on borrowed computer. Hope to be back up and running at home soon.

More Christmas Present

2008-12-25T11:30:00.003-05:00

A gift from my mother and father. I get lots of Santas as I collect them and have well over 150 at this point. Some are antiques and family heirlooms, some were found at yard sales, most were gifts from family and friends. Jen is going to take pictures of many of them in the future.

Christmas Present

2008-12-25T09:56:00.007-05:00

A present to me from sister Nancy.

The hit of the family gathering last night at sister Nancy's - a pony tire swing to go in Nanny's yard for all the kids to play on.

My fiber-optic Christmas tree which is the only "safe" tree with 5 cats (3 of them just 6 months old now) in the house.

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Past

2008-12-21T10:50:00.002-05:00

Three little girls in the late 1950's. I am the older blonde on the left. Sister Nancy is the little blonde on the right. Sister Beth is at the bottom. And of course, the real Santa Claus is holding us.

Oh my aching back! Oh, the pretty lights!

2008-12-14T19:47:00.002-05:00

DH and I restrung the lights on the back porch today. The temperature had moderated into the 50's (he denies it, though) so we did not freeze during the process. I rigged a telescoping light hanging pole from a duster handle that cut down considerably on the need for ladders and stretching precariously. However, the unaccustomed angle and precision required is already taking a toll on my arms, neck, and shoulders ... and my lower back is protesting, too. But the porch looks really nice! We have three strings of lantern lights with flicker bulbs and a long string of icicle lights that go along the porch roof and then strung a LONG string of colored mini-lights that goes all the way around. I tried to take pictures but was too lazy to get the tripod out and the pics are all fuzzy.

We were going to put more lights on the front porch where we already have LED icicles and colored lights but discovered the plugs on the motion lights we were going to use don't fit inside the light covers. We will have to come up with some short extension cords or something similar. From our slight height elevation I can look out over the town and see many decorated houses. I want to go out light-seeing and take photos too. In the meantime, I have played with wiggling my camera at my own lights. (Hey, why not take advantage of not being able to hold the camera still!)

Whew!

2008-12-11T06:13:00.003-05:00

We just went over 12 hours with the computer not able to finish a boot. DH had done something with an ActiveX control yesterday afternoon but it would not install properly. From that point on the computer would freeze somewhere during the boot process. Sometimes we got all the way to the desktop and were able to open a program before the freeze happened. He worked with it for at least 2 hours before I got home and had no more patience once I got here. So I sent him to his room and worked on it myself to no avail all last evening. I even tried System Restore but the computer would freeze during that too. Now, sometimes our modem causes problems with the computer so we are not sure if it was the computer or the modem that acted up yesterday. We unplugged the power to the modem to try to get it to reset but that did not seem to help. I finally just turned it all off and went to bed. DH tried again this morning with no luck. I tried again with no luck this morning. Then I decided to try System Restore by not waiting for the boot to complete and opened it and started it as soon as the desktop appeared. System Restore even seems to have shut down the modem completely during the restore process. Hallelujah! everything seems fine now. Whew! All my Christmas craft and photos are on the computer and I was resigning myself to not being able to complete them for Christmas. I am feeling much better now. LOL.

Red sky in the morning

2008-12-09T07:42:00.002-05:00

Just a few minutes ago. They are predicting over an inch of rain in the near future.

Another thing begun ...

2008-12-03T16:44:00.003-05:00

Today my mother is 84 years old. Happy Birthday, Mom.

Also today, DH and I (and Mom, Dad, and sister Beth) went to the hospital for the first of possibly three epidural steroid injections into DH's neck for the pain he has been having for months now in his neck and left shoulder and arm. A frustrating experience for him and for me. We went to see the "neurologist" two weeks ago and this is what was set up. We waited for the instructions to come thru the mail as to when and where to show up. The only thing that came was the time of the actual appointment. So I called. "Well, I think you just go directly to outpatient radiology" was the answer I got from the neurologist's office. We checked in at the outpatient information desk instead and that was the right thing to do. They did not even have it set up right in the computer. According to the computer we were supposed to be there last Friday - but he is only there every other Wednesday so what was a Friday date doing in the computer anyway! Rant, rant, rant.

Anyway, the actual procedure took less than 45 minutes after waiting only 15 minutes beyond the appointment time. Funny thing, there was an "X" on the back of DH's neck after we got home and the injection was actually done about 3 inches below the "X"? So far no bad reactions.

We went out to eat breakfast after we left the hospital then DH and I came home and went back to bed and slept ...

All this medical stuff just makes me so angry sometimes. Some of the medical people are good and seem to really care about the patients. Others just push people thru as fast as they can with no compassion at all. I guess the more you see the less you care sometimes.

Sorry, still ranting. Going to happy place now. See the beautiful sunset photo I just took. Isn't it lovely. Happy thoughts.

Another Frosty Morning

2008-11-29T08:35:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Jen's on Thanksgiving Day. She and her husband have hosted Thanksgiving for several years now and we all enjoy it immensely as they do practically all of the cooking and then send leftovers home with us. We had 4 kinds of pumpkin pie - traditional, applesauce-pumpkin, layered pumpkin cream, and my sister Beth's sweet potato pie (which I counted as one of the pumpkin). The food was fabulous. The companionship and laughter were wonderful.

I have to go grocery shopping again today. Yesterday I avoided the Black Friday shopping (terrible what happened in New York) by not going out until the afternoon and then only went to one grocery store and the dollar store next to it. No crowds, no rush, but awful "modernized" Christmas music playing both places. What have they done to my carols and classics? (Getting old and crochety here.) Today I have to hit the larger store for the things I did not find in the smaller grocery and I need pet food - again, still, for ever. I have been working on photo Christmas crafts and need some supplies for those, too.

Myste is going outside on her own without a lift but I go with her everytime. She cannot do steps and there are two places she could find herself trapped in our yard. One is alongside the house from the back to the front. This is a very tempting place for her as DH comes home the front way. If I put her out the back and she even thinks he may be coming home several hours early she manages to go down the two steps but then cannot get back up and sits at the bottom and barks and barks until I come with the belly lift and help her back up to porch level. The other steps are next to the garage and at least there are grassy ways around them but I watch carefully and try to keep her from attempting those steps also.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T09:06:00.002-05:00

It is bright, crisp, and cold this morning and there has been a water main break in town. We have very low pressure right now but at least we do have some water. It always seems to happen - cold weather on a weekend or holiday often means a water break. The poor guys were supposed to have today and tomorrow off ... now they have to work in the wet and the cold. I am thankful for them being there as well as all the other things I have to be thankful for. This year that includes so much.

Thank you, Lord.

Updates

2008-11-23T08:46:00.007-05:00

These pictures are from earlier this week but I just around to posting again. I love the starkness of this early morning photo and the sky behind the tree.
Here is Myste in her FOUR wheeled walker. We discovered Sister Beth and Dad had the same brand of walkers as the one that I picked up at Goodwill. So we have "borrowed" the wheels from one of theirs and added them to the back of Myste's walker. She actually is doing so much better that we are now using the belly sling mostly. She goes out often during the day when we are home and I get up at least once during the night to put her out as well. We have not had a used pee pad for nearly a week now. She and I are so much happier about that development. She hated being wet or messy and waiting for someone to take care of her and I am delighted to see full bladder and bowel control has returned.

Myste is showing more and more interest in going further in the yard and I have to discourage her from doing too much too soon. But I really did not think she was going to come back this far this time. PTL.

This is something new I discovered on the web yesterday while looking for different photo gift ideas. It is called AndreaMosiac and I downloaded it thru CNet. The picture below is one I took of a columbine blossom this past spring. I loaded it into the mosiac program and told it what other pictures to use to make the mosiac and this is the result after a few tries.

I am intrigued. I am going to try a few more mosiacs and maybe make some photo coasters using the results. If you are interested this is the website www.andreaplanet.com/andreamosaic/

Myste's Walker

2008-11-17T07:14:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I stopped in the Goodwill store to see if there was anything I could use for Myste such as bedding, padding, etc. What I found was a folding walker with wheels on the front. I brought it home and with the addition of some large sturdy dog collars, a few pieces of pool noodle, duct tape, and some socks I made a walker for Myste.
She was thrilled, delighted, ecstatic, yahoo. As soon as we stood her up in it and she realized it moved with her she took off for the back door and went outside to do her business. She is still weak in the rear legs and this gives her stability and a place to rest when the legs won't hold her. It also provides support when she squats and gives her a sense of freedom that the rear support harness does not. She still has to have a human along with her as the wheels are only on the front and there is too much risk she could tip over ... but oh joy oh joy oh joy!

Total cost for this temporary walking aid - $2.99 for the walker; $1 a piece for 2 collars at the dollar store; $1 for 3 pairs of socks at the dollar store; part of a pool noodle and some duct tape: maybe $6.

Oh, yeah, its snowing.

Myste is walking!

2008-11-16T08:25:00.004-05:00

Myste is walking ... not well but she is walking using all four legs. She started LATE last night (of course) while DH was "watching" her. Actually he was sleeping and woke up to find her moving around the living room in desperate need to go outside. He woke me and we put the new rear leg sling I had made on her and got her outside. She used her rear legs to help although she is still knuckling somewhat especially with the left foot.

The rear leg sling makes things so much easier than the belly sling. We are able to walk her outside without too much trouble also using a front harness to guide her as you cannot guide a dog from the rear (or anything else either). We now have to put walls around her bed to keep her from moving too much. Luckily we have left over grids from the cat crates and some pet fences that we can use as there is simply no room for a dog crate her size upstairs with the cat crate set up.

Thru the Eye of the Noodle

2008-11-15T19:20:00.007-05:00

Sister Beth found some pool noodle connectors and gave them to me this week for the kits. Velcro wore one on her head for a while but I did not have the camera at the time and was laughing too hard to take a good picture even if I had had it in hand. Fun, fun, fun.

Upshots

2008-11-15T09:54:00.007-05:00

It has been raining off and on since Thursday night. We need the rain but it has taken most of the leaves off the trees. Yesterday morning before work I took the camera outside and captured the sun sparkling on the raindrops.

The sky was beautiful yesterday morning and I also got some shots of the clouds and blue sky thru the bare branches of the trees.

This morning it is still raining. The holly tree is glistening. Soon it will be time to trim it back and make the holly wreaths for the holidays to come. I always end up with pricked fingers and arms when I do this but the wreaths look wonderful and last a long time.

Raindrops were pendant from every twig and branch.

The grey sky today is still a nice backdrop for the nearly leafless branches.

I have been coming back home at lunch time this week to tend to Myste. Yesterday when I got home we had a period of sunshine and the temperature was very nice, too. So I used the belly sling and managed to get Myste outside where she relieved herself with great relief (she hates using the pee pads and being wet until someone can change them). I left her sitting on the sidewalk and went back inside to straighten her bed and change the pads. When I went back outside she had managed to move herself into the yard and about 10 feet from the sidewalk and was sitting contentedly in the sunshine at the top of the slope watching down the street. I hated to bring her back in but I had to return to work. She moved her rear legs and tried to help when I used the sling to get her back inside. She is moving the legs more and bending them as well as wagging her tail. We are cautiously optimistic that she will regain some strength in her rear legs.

Running in Circles

2008-11-08T17:51:00.004-05:00

What a week ... so far.

I have been home with Myste all week learning how to take care of her with her rear legs nearly useless. We are both doing better, learning what we need from each other. She is much the same as she was mid-week ... no strength in her rear legs but she does move them and they twitch along with her front legs when she runs in her sleep. I have been absolutely exhausted much of the time but am apparently adapting as I have felt better the past two days.

We are not ready to give up on her anytime soon. DH is talking an outdoor wheeled cart for her and we are looking at options on-line for that as well as bedding to relieve pressure points and a rear-lift harness to help us move her indoors and for "quick" trips outdoors. There are a lot of sites on-line with good information on handicapped pets and I am reading a great deal when she will let me out of her sight. The other problem we have is that the steroid upsets her stomach even with the extra stomach medication. Bedding is getting washed often but thankfully we have several sets of beds (Thank you, Mom and Dad) and blankets and padding. Just a few more days of the steroid left to go.

We are not expecting a "recovery" at this time. Her hind legs were already weak from the previous injury and it is not likely she will regain even as much strength as she had last week. But she is not suffering and her appetite is still good (although considerably restricted since we are hand-feeding her and she cannot clean out all the pet food bowls as she was inclined to do) and she is still functioning.

I do have much greater appreciation of what my mother and her sisters went through in taking care of their handicapped brother all those years.

The video shows Myste in the background and Velcro rediscovering the scratching post which I had moved from the floor to the shelf in the cat crate to give myself a little more floor space while tending to Myste. Velcro did finally catch her tail but it keeps escaping and she has to chase it all over again.

Looking up

2008-11-05T10:02:00.003-05:00

There are birds out there.
It has been a hard few days. On Sunday our dog Myste lost the use of her rear legs again. She had a back injury several years ago and lost the use of her legs for a while. With steroids and care she regained most of the use of her legs. Sunday morning she was up and moving around as usual. By Sunday afternoon she could not move her legs. She is heavier than she should be and with DH and I both older now it was impossible for us to get her to the vet. So I went down and talked to the vet and came home with meds for her. The vet said only 10 days and if that does not do it then we have to consider ... Yesterday evening she started moving her right rear leg and this morning she has wagged her tail. I have been staying home with her and making certain she stays clean but I have not been getting much sleep. I stay in the living room with her and nap in the recliner and wake every time she moves. The longest uninterrupted sleep I have had since Saturday was about 2 hours. But she is improving so that is good news. Whether of not she improves enough to walk on her own again ...

I did go vote after DH got home from work and voting yesterday. The election is over and Obama is president elect. Historic. But I am too tired to care right now.

Fall Carpet

2008-11-01T07:17:00.008-04:00

Even the ground is beautiful right now. Mom and Dad's tree has begun dropping its leaves but many still remain on the tree.

Here are photos of the kittens. Last night I had all three on my lap at one time and then each one alone at various times. The kittens are 4 months old now and the two black ones are nearly as big as Midnight Smoke. With three black cats we really have to careful when we walk around at night. We have joked about painting stripes down their backs or painting their tails different colors so we can tell them apart.

This one is Spot Monster. She was named Spot as a result of the white spot of fur under her chin. She earned the name Monster as she is the roughest of the kits and you have to careful of fingers and toes around her.

This is Tig-Tig. She is the largest and heaviest of the three and also the one who wants loving the most. She loves to lay across my arm with her belly pillowed in my hand.

And here is Velcro, who has earned the additional descriptive of Slippery. She runs to the door when the dogs are being put out or coming in and has slipped out a few times when we have not been fast enough to catch her. I often pick her up and tuck her inside my sweater or jacket and carry her outdoors with me to try to satisfy her curiosity. She does not know the meaning of "No" and is always climbing where she should not ... on top of the wardrobe, along the high window sill, up the sashes and across the computer table behind the printer and hard drive and monitor (where the power strip is that she can walk on and turn off the power to everything!)

Momma Stormy does not like having her picture taken with a flash and Smoke would not sit for photos last night either. I never thought I would be the owner of 5 cats at one time. We have to get Smoke taken care of before there are more now that he has a harem. I worry about his periodic cough and surgery though. He has had the cough since he was a kitten and is now about 14 months old. He is big and healthy except for that nagging cough a few times a day.

DH and I have been going through problems with his health and have put the cat problem on the back burner for a time but we HAVE to take care of the one resident male cat.

And another shot of Mom and Dad's tree in the the evening sunshine.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T07:28:00.003-04:00

Dad's spider web

There are birds outside that window and if they come any closer ...

Recipes Request

2008-10-27T18:52:00.005-04:00

I can't get enough of this tree. I look out my window and see the light has changed again and grab the camera and take more photographs.

Linda from Australia asked "What are buckeyes?" The "real" buckeyes are the fruit of a tree. Wonderful for squirrels, etc. But Buckeyes, well, of course they are peanut butter and chocolate delights that we really should not eat at all but just have to indulge in. There are numerous recipes for this candy on the internet (called Buckeye Candy or Candy Buckeyes) and they seem easy to make but I prefer to get mine at family gatherings and bake sales. It is easier to limit myself that way.

For the same reason, I only make Peanut Butter Surprise cookies for special occasions (like now?). I found this recipe on the internet a few years ago (sometimes called Magic Peanut Butter Cookies). It is a chocolate cookie with peanut butter inside. Delicious!

Cookie Dough:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Combine filling ingredients and blend well. Form into 30 (1-inch) balls. Set aside. (I think chilling them makes wrapping them in the dough easier.)
2. Beat sugars, margarine, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add rest of ingredients.
3. With floured hands, take about 1 T dough and wrap around p.butter ball, covering completely. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
4. Bake at 375 for 7-9 min or until set and slightly cracked. Cool on wire racks. About 30 cookies.

Oh, I am so tempted to start baking. Help! Where is my will power?

Peach Maple

2008-10-25T13:53:00.003-04:00

My favorite fall maple has finally come into its glory this season. This tree is in my parent's yard. It is not truly Fall until this tree changes color as far as I am concerned. Yesterday the tree was still nondescript. Today, even with clouds and rain, the tree is glorious.

Sister Beth and I went to yard sales and a craft sale today. There were only about a half dozen sales listed in the paper and almost all of them said rain or shine or indoors, so off we went a 8 a.m. I came home with more tins for packing christmas ornaments in and two more collage picture frames. We went to a moving sale just two blocks over. The elderly lady had recently moved to a nursing home and her family was clearing the house. All the accumulation of years of costume jewelry, souvenirs, holiday decorations and kitchenware was spread out for strangers to paw through and walk away with. But she has gone into a nice home with another relative already there. That was the sale I got the picture frames from and also a few of the tins. I also came home with some wooden clothes hangers to try to make musical harps for next year's VBS and another wooden bar stool for Dad.

The craft sale was at a local high school. Beth and I were inside out of the rain but exposed to temptation in the form of baked goods. I came home with two small pies - pumpkin and apple - for DH and me. Beth got fudge and buckeyes and we shared the buckeyes in the car. Chocolate and peanut butter - nothing better, except maybe Nanny's Christmas Peeper Cookies and my Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies and .....

Catnapped

2008-10-21T07:49:00.002-04:00

This is what happens when you try to sleep "late" (anytime after 6 a.m.).

Auto Fall

2008-10-18T07:53:00.010-04:00

The drive back from Pittsburgh on Thursday was beautiful in spite of the clouds and occasional spitting rain. I did not realize it until I reviewed my photos that Pennsylvania rarely offered views of just trees. It seems more commercialized next to the interstate. Once we got back into West Virginia, though ...
the views and hills took over again (probably just prejudice on my part).

We never stopped the car anywhere to just take pictures and when we did stop at The Highlands to eat it was all parking lots and stores. (Jen, I saw the Michael's store! We did not go in to anywhere but Cabela's but I saw the Michael's store!)

Then we came home over the hilltop and down Rt 250 hill. You can see the difference between long straight interstate and curvy hilly twisty 250.

I got some nice shots before the road and my head started disagreeing with each other.

After that I still managed to get a few shots but it is amazing how quickly a scene disappears when you are in a car.

Almost home, we are going down the hill into Moundsville now. This is one of the longer "straight" stretches going down hill.

Tunnel Vision

2008-10-17T07:09:00.004-04:00

Yesterday DH and I went to the VA hosp in Pittsburgh for an informational and examination session about his prostate cancer and Agent Orange exposure. We left very early to try to escape some of the rush "hour" traffic but of course that did not work. Still we had a mostly enjoyable drive except for the actual getting into Pittsburgh parts of it. I took the camera with me in hopes of getting some nice photos of fall foliage on the way home. I could not resist taking pictures in the tunnels.

This one is my favorite. Light at the end.

Not a bad day all-in-all. We were early for his appt and had to wait but got in almost on time and out within an hour and a half. The drive back was much less nerve-wracking. The fall foliage was beautiful but we did not stop the car for pictures as we both wanted to get back home.

Look how big we are

2008-10-15T06:27:00.006-04:00

Tig-Tig claims the man chair as soon as DH leaves his seat even for a moment.

The 4 month old kits barely constrained by the playpen at Mom and Dad's.

At a recent yard sale I picked up an old fur stole and have taken it apart to use for VBS - but the kits got one section of it. They like it better than any old stuffed toy. Note the pool noodle before and after examples, too.

Velcro "playing" with "the fox".

Another week has passed

2008-10-12T10:05:00.006-04:00

since I last posted. I don't know where the time is going right now. But I was out taking pictures this morning and wanted to share with you. The maple across the alley is developing nicely. It is not as full as last year, maybe as a result of a rather dry summer.

Before the sun actually topped the hills I got a few softer shots including this one of a dewdrop.

Then the sun came out and I got some nice web shots with rainbow gleams on the webs.

I also got a different view of Mom's flowers by the basement door.

The "twin" tree by the alley has its oak part turning and these leaves dangle low enough for nice pictures.

And the goldenrod is starting to fade but still provides a nice landscape.

2008-10-06T06:29:00.003-04:00

I did go out and get more dew-covered web photos yesterday. These are both the same web that I discovered in Dad's Japanese Maple.

Then I worked on winterizing. I replaced the plastic on the basement windows on the south side of the house but discovered I must wait for cooler weather to do the north side - the bumblebees are still working on the daisies there. Then I started on the front porch - taking down old lights and plastic and replacing with new. We put up a panel of plastic to break the wind that comes from the north and right into the front door. The old panel had lasted 2 years but was becoming brittle. Then we took down the old string lights that we use for porch lighting all year (so much better general illumination than regular porch lights) and replaced them with new strings of LED lights. I like the new look. DH helped with the front porch so it went quickly as he could hang the lights without having to climb the ladder.

I don't like ladders and heights though so it was a real challenge for me to go up and down the step-ladder and balance myself while stapling plastic and threading the cords through the hooks we use to keep our lights up.

I managed to injure myself, of course. I had a can of air to clean out the electric sockets and at one point I knocked it off the bench onto the floor and then stepped on it with my left foot. The foot is not as sore now as it was after that and after all the climbing on the ladder so I may just get away with some aching. No swelling or bruising at least.

It is dark later in the mornings now and earlier in the evenings. I will enjoy Linda's posts from Australia so much during the coming months as she is moving through spring and summer. She tagged me for something I am still thinking about. I have not forgotten, Linda.

Misty Fall Morning

2008-10-05T09:00:00.004-04:00

A view through my window of a misty fall morning wreathed in drifting fog and spangled with dew filled webs led me outside with my camera to take photos of God's creation. Now I am waiting for the sunshine to break thru to get more photos of the field filled with dewy webs.

Haven't been on much this past week and was not on at all on Saturday. We finally got DH's car back from the repair shop. Now that the muffler and exhaust pipes are repaired we can hear other sounds that are probably not right. Oh well, if these old cars will just last till late winter we may be able to get another one for DH to drive to work. Since I only do in town driving for the most part I will make do with my faithful if not always reliable Buick.

Sister Beth and I went yard sailing again yesterday. Surprisingly there were quite a few listed in the paper. Many of the people we normally meet at the yard sales were out and about too and voiced their surprise and pleasure at these late season sales. I bought only 1 picture frame with a really interesting "carved" frame with a pattern of ivy leaves. I also came home with a plastic Discovery Kids potter's wheel that will go to church for VBS next year. We found one yard sale that was absolutely fascinating with the variety of items including crafts, sewing, needlework, books, jewelry, old tins and baskets. We got a large cardboard box full of miscellaneous crafts items for only $3 and sorted and shared it between us later on.

My best buy of the day though was pool noodles. We went to a garage sale in an alley and the first thing I saw after getting out of the car was a batch of 6 foot long foam pool noodles. I began gathering them up immediately and then asked the lady how much she wanted for them. She said she would be glad to give me the whole bunch for only 50 cents. Joy oh joy oh joy. I took them all and managed to squeeze them into the car trunk along with all the other items we had already purchased and got the lid shut. Then I looked at the rest of the sale. I told sister Beth that we would have to be careful opening the trunk as it would be like one of those cans of snakes you trick people with. Pop! Zoom! Wheee!

You may not recall why I am so delighted with the pool noodles. They are what my cats use for scratching posts instead of the furniture. We have a "real" scratching post that they climb all over and sit on top of - but rarely scratch. So I cut pool noodles into various lengths and attach the pieces to the outside of their crate at the corners. It helps to protect our toes from the corners and the cats use the longer lengths to climb to the top of the crate. And they shread the bottom portions. Unfortunately, I did not get to the stores in time to stock up for the winter and so I was considering buying pipe insulation foam covers to get us through the winter. Now I may not have to. We have POOL NOODLES!

DH has had a hard week. He is apparently still swollen internally from the surgery and it has irritated other problems he traditionally has in the same area. He has been so uncomfortable. Things are improving again now but it was a difficult week for him. He was in pain whether he was standing, sitting, or stretched out in bed. He could still watch football, though.?

Sunshine has broken through, I am going back out for more web shots. More later.

My favorite flowers to photograph

2008-09-29T06:41:00.005-04:00

are in my parent's yard. When I go out early to take pictures of dew and mist and raindrops, these delightful blooms by my parent's basement are all closed up tightly. While they still take a good picture, this is the way I love to photograph them. I really like the juxaposition of the peeling paint on the porch post and the vibrancy of the flower.

Sister Beth and I went to a few yard sales this past weekend. There were not many listed in the paper this time but we still found a few good ones. The first one we stopped at was just a few doors from a bakery. Oh, did the donuts smell delicious! But we resisted and went on our way after exploring the sale. We both came home with some nice clothing from one sale. The lady had lost weight and was selling her previous wardrobe in several sizes. Fantastic prices for good quality clothing. Most of the rest I bought will be for VBS next year.

I did NOT buy a single picture frame this past weekend. But I did work with my photgraphs and the frames I already have and have now hung a number of photographs on my bedroom walls. I have collages of Queen Ann's Lace in one multiple frame and of dew-spangled spiderwebs in another. Funny, I don't like spiders at all but I love the pictures of the webs.

The kittens are 14 weeks old now and are starting to walk like cats instead of kittens. There is a swagger to their stride now whereas before they bounced and teetered along. DH has taken on some of the feeding duties to help the kits bond more closely with him. It seems to be helping especially with Tig-Tig who will settle down on the footrest of DH's recliner.

Yard Sale Treasures

2008-09-20T13:15:00.003-04:00

Sister Beth and I went to yard sales again today and did we have fun. As we were leaving the neighbor up the street was walking to the neighbor across the street as they were also going to the sales. We met up with them at about 4 of the sales we hit. And of course we ran into other people we regularly see at yard sales, too. I came home with 3 more picture frames, a nice acid-free photo album that will hold 8x10 photos, more tins for putting the glass picture balls in for Christmas, a bread-machine recipe book (I am always looking for more bread recipes), more things for VBS next year including a battery powered bird in a cage that sings and moves (I think we will have to set up a booth just for the birds next year), 6 king-sized flat sheets that have never been used for only $1 each, ... and the above-pictured cat habitat ... for only $2.

I brought the thing in the house and put it where the smaller of the two NIC crates I built was positioned. As you can see, all 5 cats were delighted with the new addition. Spot is the one on top of it all, momma Stormy and Velcro are the next level down, Tig-Tig is on the bottom inside and Smoke is creeping around the outside (he looks so small in this picture but he is actually bigger than momma Stormy. All the blue stuff you see on the floor is shredded pool noodle. They love the pool noodles for scratching and I am constantly cleaning up the floor around the crates. I have a length of noodle attached from floor to the top level of the larger crate and they have almost clawed it in half. It is hard to believe the kits are 13 weeks old now. Barb keeps me up-to-date on what Shamus is doing and says she is just as rotten as my three.

Sister Beth and I filled the car today with all our treasures. She carried her last purchase on her lap on the way home as we had no more room in the trunk or the back seat (we could have turned the cat habitat around and started filling it up with smaller items but we were both tired and decided to call it a day. She did get some larger items today too like the wicker plant stand and basket and the shopping bags of yarn she found. DH is very patient and long-suffering about my yard sale finds. He watches as I unpack and describe each item and what I intend to do with them and makes appropriate sounds at intervals ... he does not understand the attraction of the yard sales but does like the savings on things like the cat habitat (around $30 in stores) and the king-size sheets.

Update

2008-09-19T08:21:00.003-04:00

DH had his prostate surgery on Monday. We were at the hospital from 5:30 am until after 3:30 pm. All went well with the radioactive seed implantation. The actual procedure only took about an hour then he was in recovery for a while then was taken down to the cancer center for more scans to be certain everything was where it should be. Then he was told to walk and drink and walk and drink so they could be sure the bladder was working before they would discharge him. So we walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. He kept telling me I could go sit down with Mom and Dad and did not have to walk with him but I told him if he was walking, I was walking. It took about 4 hours to satisfy the cancer center people that he was emptying his bladder satisfactorily. We stopped and ate on the way home then went to the pharmacy for Rx for him then home. The next morning we went back to the cancer center at 8 am for a re-check of things then he was released to come home with more Rx and take it easy for a few days instructions.

So then I collapsed. Probably just the stress of worrying about him and pushing so hard at work the week before to get as much done as possible so I would not feel guilty for taking this whole week off. I spent most of Wednesday and Thursday in bed with a slight fever and internal upsets. Back to normal now.

So this is the first time I have even been on the computer all week. I have tried today to check in on everyone's blogs just to see what you have all been up to while I was "away".

Oh, yes. We have not put the kits away at night all week either. They have not been crated at all since we got back from the cancer center on Tuesday. They are enjoying their freedom immensely. Once we settle down for the night we have a few problems with feet moving under blankets (Spot especially likes to attack feet) and have learned to keep an extra multi-folded sheet on the bed to help protect our toes. During the night we are sometimes aware of little bodies bouncing across the bed and creeping up the sides but for the most part they are good little kittens and bother the adult cats more than us.

Summer Colds

2008-09-12T06:38:00.002-04:00

Long time no post. Didn't even get a post in about last Saturday's yard sales. DH and I have both been down with summer colds - right before DH's scheduled surgery, of course.

Beth and I did go yard saleing on Saturday and I came home with ---- more picture frames! I picked up two large frames (really large) and a few smaller ones at various sales and also got some plastic display cases DH can put some of his model cars in. There are supposed to be some more good yard sales tomorrow if the rain holds off and some are rain or shine sales. These late season sales are surprising me.

Cousin Barb says the vet has told her Shamus is a girl kitty. So I am even more confused about the 3 I have left. Actually only Tigger is still a question. Based on pictures on-line I know Velcro is female and am 99% certain of Spot. But Tig's fur around the (ahem) posterior and determined squirming doesn't allow a clear view of the questionable area. I am leaning toward female since Shamus has been declared female but am still not certain. It doesn't really matter either except for future surgery purposes.

DH called the doctor's office when he got sick and was told the cold should not interfere with the prostate surgery as he should be mostly recovered by then. We are hoping this is the case as we both scheduled ourselves off work next week. DH will have the radioactive seed implantation on Monday if all goes well. It is out-patient surgery and he should come home that night then we have to go back the next day for more checking that everything is where it should be and working well. Then we wait and see what his PSA is in a few months and what complications develop. Everyone says things should be fine but I always worry about the unexpected.

I haven't even been out to take any pictures this week since I was down with my cold. I admired the sky and clouds going to and from work but once in the house did not feel like going back out with the camera.

And I have been carless this week, too. DH's car has been the shop for extensive repair and he borrowed mine last week and broke it, too. The tensionor? that holds the serpentine belt that powers everything that needs power broke on Friday. We got it fixed this week but because the shop uses "only genuine GM parts" we had to wait for the part to come in and I only got the car back yesterday evening. So his car is still sitting at the repair shop awaiting a few more paydays (repairs almost as much as the car is worth!) and our wonderful brother-in-law loaned DH his car for the past week. We are very grateful to him for doing this. It would have been extremely difficult for DH to get to work and home again otherwise.

It won't matter too much about vehicles next week as we should be home after DH's surgery and Dad takes me to and from work as needed here in town. Dad is also going to be providing transportation home from the hospital after DH's surgery and back and forth the next day as his vehicle is much more suitable to DH's tender condition. Dad has a Tahoe and DH can get up into it rather than down into a car.

Fare Thee Well, Shamus

2008-09-03T07:10:00.003-04:00

Last night cousin Barb came and picked up Shamus to take him to his new home. So far no one has taken over the job of rushing out the back door when I let the dogs in or out. It is 1/4 quieter and fewer toes are being bitten and swatted. I now only have to count to 3 when accounting for kittens. We will miss the little fella.

But he is going to a good home and will be well-loved and spoiled. Barb's neighbor's little girl will be there often to play with him and he will have his own crate and a new scratching/climbing pole (as soon as Barb assembles it). And two very adult cats to keep him in line.

So, fare thee well, my little one.

Grey Pearls

2008-09-01T08:24:00.008-04:00

I took this shot yesterday morning and did not discover its fascination until this morning.

This past weekend was interesting. Sister Beth and I went to a reunion for the school we attended before we were all transferred to a consolidated high school. We were among the last students to attend the old school but graduated from the new consolidated school. It was interesting being the "babies" at our age. The graduates were celebrating graduations that had occurred as much as 75 years earlier and the last graduating class was in 1968. We were considered to be class of '69. There were only 6 or 8 of us in this group but there were over 150 people at the reunion including one lady who came all the way from Florida to attend. It was a good meal and lots of laughter and we saw people we rarely see anymore.

I have been letting my hair grow longer and Jen wanted to "play" with it for the reunion. Now I have had naturally curly hair since childhood. I have a few pictures of me as a very young child with straight hair but nothing beyond the first few grades of school. Jen straightened my long hair. Curly it reaches below my shoulders. Straight it was about mid-back. It was an interesting experience to have long straight hair. I kept saying it felt like baby-doll hair it was so smooth and silky. I still have to assimilate this experience.

We did go yardsaleing again on Saturday too. I got MORE picture frames including two that have owl pictures in them. I used to collect owls like crazy but not so much anymore. These however may get to keep their frames and be hung on the walls as long as I find a place they won't be staring at my husband all the time. This past weekend was probably the end of the good yard sales for the season. There may be a few more in September but it will be nothing like during the summer months.

2008-08-24T07:40:00.010-04:00

Here is how I watched most of the Olympics these past two weeks.

When I say "watched" it was really watching highlights and re-runs as I generally could not stay up late enough to watch much live. But I got to see the best of the gymnastics and volleyball and swimming and diving. Sorry the video is so dark here, it is much better on my home computer screen. The kits climb all over the two crates we made for them and perform some pretty amazing gymnastics. Meanwhile, momma Stormy and Smoke find safety inside the crates while the kits are out.

How do you like my peacocks?

Saturday Mom and I went to 8 yardsales as Beth and Dad went to church meetings. I got some nice buys for VBS next year (the set of 3 metal peacocks only cost $1) and 12 picture frames. Actually, 10 of the frames are frameless and consist of 8x10 pieces of glass with foamboard backings and metal holders at each corner. These won't be any good for next year's fair photos but will be nice for home use. I only paid $2.50 for the whole lot and only 50 cents each for the other two frames I bought, one of which is oval. Mom and I had a great time and came home exhausted (at least I did). I had a nice lie down on the bed with all four kittens clambering over me and the bed. They are really active and loving. I am so glad we had this litter inside where they could be well socialized.

They have no fear and are beginning to express interest in OUTSIDE. When I open the door to let dogs in or out I have to check carefully for any nearby kits and even if I do not see any I usually still have to chase one down as it streaks off the porch after having eluded my grasping hands when it darted through the door. Shamus, who is being adopted by my cousin, is usually the culprit. Barb is going to have SO MUCH FUN with him.

It has been a long week for us. Saturday evening DH started having pains in his neck, shoulder and arm. He had had these before and got a cortisone shot in July for the same thing. This time it was worse. All day Sunday he was in agony. Monday morning he was a bit better but we still went to the doctor without an appointment but they squeezed us in. Prescription for pain pill and set up for MRI. Went to the pharmacy and picked up Rx's. Monday afternoon was his preop for the prostate surgery so we went to hospital and spent most of the afternoon there (waiting, mostly) and got that taken care of. Got another Rx there for Flomax that he had to start taking that evening. Back to the pharmacy to get the new Rx. MRI set up for Tuesday afternoon so I had to take more time off work because he still could not drive himself. Pain not much improved on Tuesday and Rx not really helping. So we went to the hospital for the MRI first and spent a few hours there then back to the doctor to ask about stronger pain meds then back to the pharmacy to see about filling the Rx where we were told the new Rx was just a stronger pill of the same thing he already had and just take 1 1/2 of the current tablets instead of filling the new Rx. Duh! Why didn't they just tell us that at the doctor's office? He was able to work on Wednesday and the rest of the week. Thursday evening we got home to discover a message on the answering machine from the nurse to please call about the results of the MRI. They have my work number but repeatedly call and leave messages on the home phone instead of calling me at work. So Friday morning I called and she tells me DH has "bulges" in his back and they are making a referral to a neurosurgeon. DH calls me and I tell him and on his last break of the day he is able to talk to the nurse and she tells him the same thing but has no real explanation of what the "bulges" are. It will take a few days to set up the appt with the neurosurgeon. Oh, and I have my yearly mammogram set for 9/5.

Life goes on.

I hate it when that happens ...

2008-08-18T08:31:00.002-04:00

Naturally the photos did not biggie size in the original post so I have posted each individually.

Biggie Sized Trumpet Vine

2008-08-18T08:25:00.001-04:00

Biggie Sized Web 3

2008-08-18T08:24:00.001-04:00

Biggie Sized Web 2

2008-08-18T08:22:00.002-04:00

Biggie Sized Web 1

2008-08-18T08:20:00.002-04:00

Web Shots

2008-08-17T15:08:00.013-04:00

I was out and about yesterday morning and this morning and got these nice shots of webs I thought I would share.

Shooting webs is something I find challenging and rewarding. They are so delicate and intricate and the sun and dew do marvelous things with the strands.

I also got some macros down the throat of the trumpet vine in Mom's yard.

I hope all of these can be biggie-sized when you click on them. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't?

I have not been on the computer much this past week for various reasons including the release of the kittens from the cage in both the mornings and the evenings. They are 8 weeks old now and have no respect for gates or barricades intended to keep them confined to safer areas. So ... except for the basement and attic they have free run of the house for unrestrained play until the dogs and the humans wear out. They still try to nurse from Stormy and she still wants them to do so at times but all are eating dry and canned food and drinking water (right alongside the dogs at times - no fear of bigger animals with bigger teeth at all). They also appear to have been successfully litter-trained. They have accidentally (I hope) used the speaker button on the bedroom phone twice now and put the phone off the hook as a result. Smoke runs and plays with them in delight and momma Stormy is becoming less of a worrywart and plays with them too. When they wind down I gather them all up and return them to the crate for food, drink, litter usage, and some well-deserved rest (for us, although they sleep, too).

Yardsaleing on Saturday netted only 1 picture frame ($1) this week but I also picked up an electric fountain to use for VBS next year (only $3) and a stainless steel water dish for the kits (50 cents) and a set of 4 glass coasters you can insert photographs into ($1) and 5 12 inch rulers (10 cents for all 5) that will also go into the VBS supplies. The fountain has a large rectangular base about the size of a large baking dish that holds a hollow "rock" that hides the pump and has a hole up through it for the water to come out of. On top of the "rock" you place a fake shell that directs the flow of the water. Looks good and works okay and will fit in with most of the VBS themes we use.

Still a month to go before the seed implantation procedure for husband's prostate cancer. Tomorrow we go for his pre-op and then back to the cancer center for more information. I know worry is what has upset both my IBS and fibromyalgia. Aches and pains galore but he is what is important right now. And I know that the worry is useless and unnecessary. Lord, I believe. Help me with my unbelief. It is so hard to let go of worries.

But in the meantime, He has provided the comic relief of 4 romping kittens and 2 semi-adult cats and 2 "where did those cats go?" dogs.

Happy Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day

2008-08-08T22:43:00.002-04:00

Many, many years ago I gave a program for our church's woman's group that included a listing of special days of the year including famous birthdays, etc. In my research for special days I found Bonza Bottler Day. My family has "celebrated" this invented holiday sporadically ever since then.

Bonza Bottler Day occurs every month when the day of the month and the number of the month match. When the number of the year matches also it is a Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day. So today, August 8, 2008, is a Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day.

I called my sister at work this morning and sang her the celebratory song -- Its Bonza Bottler Day! Its Bonza Bottler Day! I just called to say - Its Bonza Bottler Day! (sung to the tune of Howdy Doody). My niece Jen called me at work and wished me Happy Bonza Bottler Day and I got to sing the song to her also.

There is even an official website for this holiday - www.bonzabottlerday.com.

So, to all of you, I send this greeting. Happy Bodacious Bonza Bottler Day!

Expansion

2008-08-04T07:08:00.007-04:00

The kits are growing so fast. They are 6 weeks old now (as of this past Friday) and are brave, fearless, explorers who have no common sense as yet. So the crate has grown with them. I added another level this past weekend to give them more room to play and have they ever used it. Both Momma Stormy and Smoke enjoy the outside carpeted level, Momma mostly to sleep and still keep a watchful eye on kitten antics and Smoke to reach in and play with kits. Smoke and the kittens get unfettered play time together too. I am still not completely certain that he does not think of the kittens as entertaining prey but he does watch out for them and tries to herd them away from areas he does not want them in.

I have hung toys both inside and outside the crate to help entertain them when they get bored with romping with each other. There are now so many levels of entertainment and places to sleep.

Sister Beth and I went to yard sales on Saturday again. I came home with 8 more picture frames for only $4.50 total. We have about another month of yard sales before the season is over for this year. Have to start making plans for next year's Fair photos.

Top of the World, Ma

2008-08-01T21:35:00.004-04:00

The new scratching post is a hit ...

so is underneath the recliner.

Fair Photo Results and more

2008-07-31T06:04:00.007-04:00

Wow. The Fair photo contest results are in and the whole family did well. We submitted a total of 35 pictures among 11 family members and came away with three Best of Show (two Reds and a Purple) in their categories and numerous other ribbons as well.

Jen and her youngest boy got two of the Best of Show (both had a Blue with a Red Best of Show) and Dad had a Blue with Purple Best of Show for a picture of Mom and Uncle Sonny in the portraits category.

In total we had 17 Blue, 12 Red, and 6 White. Now keep in mind that every entry gets something, but we still "done good."

Now we start working on next year's photos.

I have been letting the kittens have almost free range of the living room in the evenings and it has resulted in some hilarious moments. We have a tower fan in the living room that they have decided is a climbing/scratching post (I intend to purchase a real one tonight) and Shamus and Tigger have both made it to the top of the fan before DH or I realized they were climbing. The descent is a little tricky and Shamus has landed in the waterdish and then walked around shaking paws to rid them of the wet.

All four go each in a separate direction to distract the two of us so kittens are always somewhere they should not be - over the fence, behind the recliner, on top of something, under the recliner, inside the bookcase, etc. After a half hour or so DH and I are exhausted but smiling as we corral the four marauders and put them back in the crate.
Momma and Smoke are delighted to have them out of and back in the crate, too. Smoke either guards the front door area and makes certain the kits do not play with his yellow jingle balls or sits in the hall to the bedroom and watches the kittens scale the fence and the fan and our legs, etc. Sassy, my dog, spent most of last evening behind me in my recliner as the kits cavorted. She watched them very carefully but did not want to be on the floor with them.
I think I am trying to ignore/forget about this next item. My husband's doctor sent him to a urologist to have his prostate tested recently. When we went for the ultrasound the urologist did 6 biopsies as well. Two of the six came back positive. We go to an oncologist this coming Tuesday to find out the next step. The urologist is very optimistic. He said there is "nil" chance of this being fatal as it was found early. It has been hard for me to talk about this with anyone yet. We are still a little in shock. He is also angry, depressed, and blaming himself as he feels he must have done something to cause this. We need your prayers.

Weekend Tales

2008-07-28T07:16:00.009-04:00

What a weekend we have had. Saturday was submission day for photographs at the county fair. We had talked about all of us going down together Saturday morning as soon after 10 am as possible. So I was over at Dad's around 9 am with my extra picture frames to help him get the last of his photos printed, matted, and framed. We called sister Nancy to find out when she would be ready and she told us she still had to pick up her photos as she could not get them printed at the store the night before. She could not get the photos before 10 am and would come to Dad's after that. Jen called and asked if she still needed to bring a particular picture frame for Dad to use and said she would be there "ash shoon ash I finishh eashing" (exaggerated for effect).

Dad and I located the photos he wanted and after a few false starts got them printed. Jen arrived, Nancy arrived. We listened to Nancy's adventures of the night before getting her photos submitted to the photo-printing center and choosing frames and mats (frames one size, mats another, no option available) and Jen began trimming mats to fit Nancy's frames with Dad's large paper cutter. I cleaned the glass, and cleaned the glass, and cleaned the glass again after fingerprints were added during reinstallation in the frames, and cleaned the glass again. I have three small cuts from the edges of glass on the fingers of my left hand and did not even know I had them until much later. We laughed and talked and commisserated with each other about husbands and men in general as we all worked on finishing Nancy's fair submissions.

Around 11:30 we headed for the fairgrounds. We had to take the long way to get there as the 7th St entrance was closed to discourage people from using the fairgrounds as a shortcut to 12th St. As we went thru the gate at 12th St the sign hanging on the half open gate advised that the other gate was closed and no thru traffic. On the back of the gate once you are inside was spraypainted "Told you so." lol

There were only a few people ahead of us in the photo submission line and the wait was short. More people arrived after us and their wait was, of course, much extended by our submissions. When we got there the tag numbers were in the 70's. When we left, the numbers were in the 100's. Our family had over 30 photos submitted between adults and childrens categories.

Then we went home and napped.

Sunday "The Cousins", as we have called ourselves for 40 some years, went to Cameron to sing at a luncheon after church service at one of sister Beth's churches. Dad went with Beth when she left at 7:30 in the morning. She drove his Tahoe and all the equipment out and Dad got a front seat (passenger side) to allow his still tender hip room to move and adjust. The rest of us left after 10 am in two more vehicles to provide easy access and more front seats for vertigo prone (and therefore car sickness prone) passengers. It was a gorgeous day and the ride was pleasant and we all arrived with only a bit of dizziness. You have to understand that part of the trip was on Route 250 and with no other alternative route for us. 250 is famous for very few straight stretches and lots of ups and downs as it follows the natural contours of the hills. It is beautiful but a difficult ride for many people. My problem is not so much vertigo or car-sickness as it is the later effect on my fibromyalgia. I usually feel the effects the next day in aching neck, back, and shoulders. So far today, Monday morning, I am not doing too badly.

We arrived in Cameron with plenty of time to spare and no mishaps. I had remembered to take my camera and got the following pictures of stained glass in the churches.

The luncheon was wonderful. Good food. Good people. Lots of laughter. We sang afterwards for about a half hour and they enjoyed the music as much as we enjoyed doing it. Lots of smiling faces and people singing along on the familiar numbers. Thanks and congratulations afterwards. Nice people.

We had a leisurely drive home as well and cousin Barb stopped in the visit with Shamus and the other kittens before heading home herself. We were all exhausted but happy.

I am still tired this morning and this is a very choppy post. I am certain I will remember more about it later but wanted to get this much down now.

Clouds and Kitten Tales

2008-07-23T21:39:00.007-04:00

Last night's storm that rolled thru made for some beautiful cloud photos. The storm moved southeast quickly just about sunset and the lowering sun gilded the clouds. My photos, while nice, just cannot do justice to the real thing.

Tonight the kittens met some little great-nieces of mine. All four kittens got well handled and the little girls were delighted. They romped and chased each other and got picked up and carried back to the center of the room (the kittens, not the nieces although there was some tickling and hugging going on with them, too) and just generally entertained us all.

And Sylvester has a new name and a new promised home. My cousin Barb was at Mom and Dad's tonight along with my sister and the great-nieces. She has had two black and white cats during her adult life but does not have one at this time although she does have two other adult cats. As soon as she saw Sylvester she said "Shamus the 3rd." After he played a while with the little girls she picked him up and he settled down with her and went to sleep just as if they belonged together. So, Shamus it is and Barb will take him home when he is weaned and ready to leave momma and siblings.

Kitten Playpen

2008-07-21T18:46:00.007-04:00

Today the NIC cubes order arrived and DH and I put together the new crate for the kittens. I ordered 5 sets of 13 grids each for a great price with free shipping. The crate we put together used only 28 grids for now but can be expanded and I used another 10 grids to make an open playpen for over at Mom & Dad's.

The crate and playpen are held together by zip cable ties and the "locks" will be binder clips. We made the sloped front the lid so the whole thing opens to allow access to the blue plastic crate which now houses the small litter pan.

One grid is attached to the top of the blue crate as Sylvester has already figured out how to climb the cage and fall thru the hole ... and climb the cage and fall thru the hole ... and climb the cage and fall thru the hole ...

The cage is already a big hit with us, the kittens, Momma Stormy, Smokey and even the dogs. Smoke and Sylvester have played with each other thru the grids. Before they could only sniff each other. There is one problem. I purchased "Welcome" mats with rubber backings to use for the floor. I turned the mats over so the rubber backing is what the kittens use as the floor. The backing is black. So are the kittens.

Fair Contenders

2008-07-19T19:02:00.011-04:00

Today sister Beth and I got our photographs ready for submission to the Fair next weekend. Last year we (at least I did) waited till almost the last minute to get ready. This year I have been preparing for months (all those yard sales and all those picture frames for great prices). So today I took a disk with the contenders over for Mom, Dad, and Beth to help me decide which would be the submissions and which were also rans.

The Fair photography division has 6 categories: Portraits; Landscapes; Still-Life; Animals; Abstract; and Miscellaneous. Each entrant is limited to 5 submissions and only one in each category. There are ribbons and small cash prizes usually. The Fair material states that the Art Department of the Fair has been established specifically for local amateur and hobby-type artists to have opportunity to display their work.

We whittled my contenders down to five and Beth and I went out (after playing with the kittens) and got some printed that I had not had printed previously.

So this post is for the purpose of displaying some of the also rans. Some of these may have been on my blog before, some have not.

I really like all of these photographs. It was hard to decide on my final five and leave these out of contention.

My day started at 4:30 this morning

2008-07-18T14:05:00.011-04:00

which is when DH leaves for work. I got up as usual to say good-bye and put the dogs out. Then I went down to the basement to get the clothes I had left hanging down there to finish drying. Momma cat followed me downstairs as usual. As I was retrieving my jeans I heard a little "meow" which I thought was momma. Then I heard another. Lo and behold, either sometime in the night or early this morning she had carried all four kittens down to the unlighted basement. Thankfully they are so familiar with me they came right to me and I gathered all four up in my arms along with my laundry and carried them back upstairs to the blue crate.

Then the contest of wills started. Momma wanted them downstairs and I wanted them upstairs. The basement is damp (at least humid) and dark and who knows what lives in the corners and around all those boxes that are still not unpacked from when we moved here. The kittens would be able to go anywhere and everywhere down there. The blue crate is clean and dry and the kittens still cannot get out of it on their own. I put the kittens in the crate. Momma took a kitten and headed for the basement. I put the kitten back in the crate. Momma took a kitten and headed for the basement. After about 3 times I blocked Momma in the crate with the kits while I considered my options.

I had already planned on stopping at a yard sale on the way to work as the ad in the local paper included dog crates in the items available. I hoped to get one cheaply that would work until the NIC grids I intend to build a cage from arrive (Monday delivery anticipated according to UPS). But until I had a dog crate or the grids I needed a temporary solution. So the kits got moved to the red crate that houses the cats' food dishes to keep the dogs from eating it. A grating over the entry hole kept them inside (Smoke was crated in the red crate as a kitten). I got out my Dremel and drilled holes around the entry holes in the side and lid of the blue crate and attached baking racks with zip ties to those holes. Then I cut another hole in the other side of the crate and duct-taped a large heavy cardboard box to that side of the crate after putting a small litter pan inside. (Duct tape is wonderful. I am so glad I picked up a new roll recently.) The new configuration doubled the size of the habitat and allowed me to put Momma and food and water in with the kittens.

Finally, I was able to take my shower and get ready for work. But Momma wasn't happy. There are handholds in the sides of the cardboard box I used and I thought they would be nice for ventilation. Momma thought they were starter escape holes. I did what I could and headed for the yard sale early in hopes of getting a metal dog crate.

I was there before the official starting time and the crates were already gone. So I went on to work to check on what was on my desk that needed done today. I am already off Monday for DH's doctor appt and wanted to be certain there was nothing that had to be done. When my co-worker arrived before starting time I told her what was going on and what was on my desk (nothing) and put a vacation request slip in the boss's mailbox and headed for home. Ours is a relaxed sort of office and I have plenty of vacation time and if something comes up they can always call me at home.

On the way home I stopped at the Dollar General store and found a pet carrier crate on clearance for only $10. It is not the sturdiest crate but it will do for now and $10 wasn't a bad price for what I got. Home again and Momma is still inside the new habitat but she has worked on those escape holes. She calms down when she knows I am back. I let her out and check on the kits then I put the new carrier together and put the kits inside and went over to Mom and Dad's.

It is only a little after 9 a.m. then and I am exhausted. But the kittens come out of the carrier crate and explore the room and the people in it and play for what seems a long time before wearing out again.

Spot chewed on the cuff of my jeans. Sylvester played with the wrist strap of Dad's cane (note the wet neck on Tigger, they all looked like that from Momma's efforts to move them), they stalked and attacked each other (and us), and finally got tired and started crying for Momma.

So home we went and I decided it was time to rearrange things in the living room to make space for the blue crate and box combination and still leave room for me to sit in my chair. Several hours later I sat down and ate lunch. There are still a few things in DH's chair for him to look at when he gets home but otherwise things aren't in too bad of a condition. In fact, there is a little more floor space for the dogs to spread out in. I don't know if I will be able to stay up for Dr. Who tonight on Sci-Fi.

Stages

2008-07-17T06:19:00.007-04:00

Another beautiful summer day dawns with the promise of sunshine and heat.
The kittens have been doing what all kittens do - sleeping, eating, and growing -

and trying again to escape the smaller of the nesting boxes.

Spot seems to have figured it out.

Hello, world. Here I am.

The kittens all have "baby names" now. This one is Spot because of the white fur on its throat. The black and white kitten is being called Sylvester (Thanks, Linda, for reminding us of that cat.). The grey striped is, of course, Tigger. And the other dark kitten got christened Velcro last night because it just won't let go with all four paws at the same time. We are trying to introduce them to food now. I mix up some milk replacement and pour it over a bit of dry kitten food and put both just the milk replacement and the moistened food in with the kittens when Momma is out of the blue crate eating her own meals. So far the kittens have walked in the food and spilled the food and shaken it off paws onto each other. Momma hurries back to the crate and shows them how it is done by eating and drinking almost all of it herself. They'll get the idea.

Sunlight

2008-07-12T18:48:00.006-04:00

I love going out in the early morning and catching the sun and dew doing marvelous things.

When the sun peeks over the eastern hills the clouds light up in glorious ways.

If I get down real low I get some wonderful shots of ordinary grass turned extraordinary

and weeds become things of breath-taking beauty.

The Great (attempted) Escape

2008-07-10T20:21:00.009-04:00

Nothing happening here. All four kittens accounted for.
Mom's not looking now.

Think I'll try going over the wall ... whoops, the dog.

Maybe the front is the way to go.

Is she looking at me?

Now's my chance.

If ... I ... can ... just ... get ... a little ... higher ...

Somebody give me a push!

Busted! Back in the big blue box.

Positions, everyone ...

2008-07-06T12:13:00.012-04:00

Lady's got the camera. Let's look extra cute.

Some of our best parties

2008-07-05T09:05:00.023-04:00

take place in the rain and it was a rainy Independence Day but the temperature was comfortable and with Mom and Dad's big porch there was room for all. We started gathering around 3:30 and had more food than we could eat as always. Sister Beth decorated both the kitchen and dining room tables with festive tablecloths that then got completely covered with serving dishes.

DH made BBQ pork ribs in the crockpot (he got up at 3 am to put it all together and in the crockpot) and we also took corndogs over as part of our contribution. Other food included deviled eggs, cakes, cookies, peanut butter cake, macaroni salad (DH's favorite made by Pam), sausages for in buns and cocktail sausages cooked in sister Nancy's "secret" sauce, chips of various types, of course, and the popsicles. There was more but I can't remember it all right now except when Jen and her family arrived with the fruit salad.

I got some nice shots of rain covered flowers and tried out some more settings on the Canon after reading the instruction manual again. There is still a lot I don't take advantage of that this camera can do.

The popsicles were a hit of course and made two appearances during the afternoon and evening (as did the kittens since we had groups that came and went at different times). The kittens are two weeks old now and they were introduced to more family members to start the socialization process. The kids were so gentle with these tiny fragile beings it was delightful to watch. Adult hearts melted also. I only got a few not-so-good head shots as the kittens kept moving around in the arms holding them.

It rained off and on, sometimes with purpose and sometimes like an afterthought. We started some fireworks late in the afternoon but the real show did not begin until dark which is also right when the rain decided it really had to come down. Jen and I stood out in the field under a small maple with umbrellas over us and our cameras and took pictures of the city fireworks. The fireworks didn't get quite the height they usually do because of the rain but it was still a nice display and Jen and I got to try out different settings on our cameras. I still had the old Olympus for July 4 last year so this was my first time using the Canon. I decided I like the fireworks setting better than manual but if I had had more fiddling time I may have decided differently. Its hard to change camera settings when you are balancing an umbrella. I will have to do some editing before I am satisfied with the city fireworks pictures but here are a few highlight for now.

The family fireworks display was set off after the city finished and the rain stopped again also.

We had a great and exhausting time again. I actually slept in this morning and did not get up until 8 am when the dogs and cats decided I had slept long enough.

More Macros

2008-07-02T20:34:00.004-04:00

Who knew clover could look so lovely.

Coneflowers in Mom's flower bed.

Reflections in a drop of dew. It's a good thing I did this one this morning, the grass got mowed while I was at work today.

Emulating Jenny

2008-07-01T06:43:00.003-04:00

I "cheated" and used macro in portrait mode but I like the results. Water droplets are challenging. Even if I get a clear sharp shot of the drop the reflections may be too fuzzy. Oh well, guess I will just have to keep taking pictures and spending time walking around outdoors and enjoying the sunshine ... wait, what's wrong with any of that?

It's that time of year

2008-06-29T19:48:00.008-04:00

I have started making the popsicles for the 4th of July.
So far I have made Strawberry, Grape, Black Cherry, Blackberry/Raspberry, Banana, Chocolate Mint (only 6 of those and they may not make it to the 4th), and two mystery flavors this year. I ran out of flat space in the freezer and had to bag up the first batch.

This is the second batch you are looking at. I will have to wait until tomorrow to make the larger batch of all chocolate pops. I did not keep count but I had 100 of the colored plastic sticks and have used all of them and have started on the regular wooden sticks I had in the craft supplies.

There are never too many popsicles and I love having left-overs.

This year sister Beth wants us to make jello beans too as she got some molds at the yard sales we went to earlier this summer. I forgot about this when I went to the grocery store so will have to get some more flavored gelatin this week so we can try this treat too.

The popsicles take one small box of gelatin, one envelope of unsweetened drink mix, and approximately 1 cup of sugar. Add 2 cups boiling water and stir until dissolved. Then add 2 cups cold water. Pour into 3 oz cups and freeze partially before adding sticks (I have used plastic spoons and straws as well as the popsicle sticks).

The pudding pops take 1 small box of instant pudding and 1 1/2 cups cold water. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes by hand. Pour into cups and freeze. You may be able to add the sticks when you put the pudding pops in the freezer or may have to wait for the pops to partially freeze before adding sticks; it depends upon how thick the pudding is when you put it in the freezer.

Much of the family gathers at Mom and Dad's for the 4th as we have a great view of the fireworks at the fairgrounds. Both kids and adults eagerly await the arrival of the popsicles from my freezer and I always have many helping hands carrying the trays across the sidewalk.

100 and 1

2008-06-28T10:00:00.002-04:00

I just realized my last post was my 100th. Wow!

I have added a new slide show and a separate link to it celebrating Stormy and Smoke and the new kittens.

PS: the kittens are still in the box under the computer room table today. For how long?

Kitten Hunt and Childhood Memories

2008-06-27T19:14:00.008-04:00

When I got home tonight the nesting box was empty. Stormy was still guarding the computer room so I figured the kittens must still be in the room. But they weren't in the box, they weren't in the book case, they weren't behind the boxes under the computer table, or in DH's closet (he leaves the door open as he has as much hanging on the door as in the closet), or ....

I went to the basement just to check the two nesting boxes down there but momma had not taken the kittens to either the wicker basket or the blue crate.

Finally I got down on my poor old knees and looked under the wardrobe and there they were. Of course, they were just beyond my reach as my arms don't bend that way so I got down further and managed to gently retrieve 3 of the 4. No way could I reach the last one. So I struggled back to my feet and searched out the butterfly net I got at the dollar store. It worked wonderfully for the last kitten. Naturally, while I was retrieving kittens, momma was trying to move them again so she got shut in the box along with the kits as I snagged each one.

Once all four were in the box she settled in to nurse them and has been content with them in the box since. I expect she will try to move them again tonight and have warned DH to watch where he walks in the dark.

The following childhood memories were inspired by Linda who has a ramble on her blog today about what she did as a child (she also had some sad news about a family member).

We lived in "the country" when I was growing up. From 2nd grade thru high school we lived in a rural area that is practically the suburbs now. I remember tall grass and sunshine and sled riding down the lane and exploring in the woods. We had a garden that none of us kids appreciated and I wish I had now. Lima beans, corn, tomatoes, and a grape arbor. We only had a small parcel of land but there was so much undeveloped land around us it felt enormous. Mr. Johnson down the lane had cows that often got out of their field and ended up in our garden. He also had some mean dogs we raced past to get further down the lane to playmates. I remember his wife had lots of dolls all over their house. There were always animals at someone's house to go see. A girl along the lane had horses or ponies and there were pigs that got fed the sour milk from the dairy also on the lane. If we walked down over the hill along the road we could go down to the creek (a long walk back up though). We would go down into the woods and explore the ravine and think we were miles from home and then look up the hillside and see the back of the neighbors' houses. Winter meant the family from in town coming out to ride sleds down our lane (and past the Johnson dogs). Hot cocoa and red noses. Soaking wet clothes. Getting dumped off the sled when you didn't make the turn. We had a large kitchen window looking out over the road and down the hill toward a neighbor's farm. I remember the barn showing up as the leaves fell from the trees in the fall and disappearing when they came back in the spring. I remember sister Nancy coming back from a walk to the mailbox and telling us about the cute black and white kitty she saw and how glad Mom was that she didn't get too close to the skunk it was. (How much of this is memory and how much is the memory of the story?) I remember huddling in the little bus stop at the top of the hill waiting for the school bus to come. Freezing in winter so you tried to wait till the last minute but had to time it right because the driver didn't wait long for anyone. I remember snow a foot deep one Easter and pushing the neighbor's oldest son's car up the lane. I remember riding in that low-slung thing too. I remember sister Beth sitting in the closet at the end of the hall talking and talking and talking on the telephone. I remember Mom finding a family of mice making a home in the bag of dog food in the basement. I remember Dad going away for Naval Reserve Training and lightning striking the chimney. I remember the kitchen cabinets Dad built from scratch and how proud he was of them. I remember flying balsa wood planes out the garage door into the rain. I remember sleeping on mattresses on the floor in the living room when we all had chicken pox. I remember seeing Santa in the living room one Christmas morning when I was very young. I remember live Christmas trees that got planted outside when the ground thawed and Moms cosmos growing along the sidewalk wall in generous profusion. I remember .... I remember ...

An Abundance of ...

2008-06-27T05:52:00.008-04:00

day lilies in my yard and Mom's yard

is still no competition Jen's amazing tiger lily photo. Go to her blog to see her breath-taking photo.

This was taken yesterday of the four kittens curled up in a corner of their box. You can see the tuxedo kitten's face, paws, and chest. It has a spot of black on its chin, too. We have discovered one of the black kittens also has just a touch of white under its chin on its neck.

I changed the papers in their box last night.

First I tried to distract Stormy with some tuna in her bowl. Apparently I didn't move fast enough or she heard some sound because as soon as I had the box out from under the computer table she was right there. I had to take box and kittens to DH to hold while I transferred the kits to another box temporarily so I could take the soiled papers out. Stormy insisted on getting in the temporary box with the kittens. Once I had the papers changed and the kittens back in their nesting box and back under the table, Stormy settled down with them again.

The kittens have grown considerably in the past week. One of them has started to open its eyes. Smoke is interested in them but has not tried to get in the box with them. He just looks.

Clouds

2008-06-25T06:12:00.008-04:00

These were all taken last night in the same time period. The top one reminds me of the three mean ghosts from Casper.

Tuesday

2008-06-24T06:27:00.003-04:00

I think I figured it out. Linda presented me with a blogging award which I now show to the side. The award is "dedicated to many who nourish and enrich the spirit and creativity, camaraderie, joy and above all, ART. much art. I wish that this prize is entertaining to all those bloggers and to bloggers who day by day share this space and enrich it a little more each day." Arte Y Pico.

Now for the rules:

1. Select 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award, creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter the language.

2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.

3. Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.

4. The award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.

5. To show these rules.

I've gotten this far but will have to consider the rest of the process.

Back to work today after vacation thru yesterday. So glad I took the vacation for VBS. I was really worn out this year by all that went on and needed done. DH goes back to work tomorrow (his normal work week is Wednesday thru Saturday).

Sadly, the littlest kitten died overnight. This was the last born and was the smallest of the five. It was nursing well along with the other four but was not as vigorous as they were. Sad but not surprising.

Contests, kitten pics, and awards

2008-06-22T19:57:00.009-04:00

Jen has entered a contest that has a Nikon D60 DSLR camera as the prize. She has a link to her photos on her blog and if chosen as one of the finalists will need votes to help her win. See her Friday June 20 post for the link. She has submitted wonderful photos and there are THOUSANDS of others on the site. But I think Jen has some of the best (of course).

When DH and I went to bed last night Stormy and her kittens were in the blue crate in the living room. When I woke up this morning and went to check the crate was empty. No problem, I just went into the computer room and checked the box we had placed in another of her favorite spots and sure enough there was the whole family. It is quieter in the computer room and the box is more protected from the dogs as it is in a corner sheltered by a bookcase on one side, the leg of the computer table (and a "windscreen" of poster board to block the a/c from blowing on the box) on the other and the paper shredder in front (turned off, unplugged, and no chance of it coming on accidentally).

Stormy is still ravenous and is getting fed nearly every time she comes into the kitchen. She prefers tuna, of course, and is getting her fill of it right now. We have also added pedialyte to the drinking water. I will check with the vet tomorrow to see if I should do anything else for her. She is already eating dry kitten kibble which is supposed to help pregnant and nursing mothers.

I have been given another award (I never did figure out what to do about the first one Jen gave me, have to get back to that, too). Linda has passed on an award for bloggers who contribute to the blogging community through creativity, design, and interesting material. As soon as I figure out what/how to do it I will pass it on to others as well. Just too tired to figure it out tonight. But thank you so much, Linda. (See how tired I am, I almost forgot to say thanks and I really mean it.)

Darla and I packed away VBS for another year today. This meant multiple trips up and down three flights of church steps to store the decorations, etc., after first taking it all down and packing it in containers. We didn't get it all put away. Darla says she will do the rest over the next week or so herself as it will be stored in her third floor office area for the most part. Sister Beth stopped at the church on her way home from her churches in Cameron and we packed my craft supplies in the Tahoe then came home and she backed across the field to the gate and we unpacked the Tahoe and DH and I went up and down basement stairs getting it all inside and out of the way.

We are already making plans for next year. We hope to do the next in this series which is supposed to be Paul and the disciples in Rome. Many of the decorations we have will be suitable for this as well but I anticipate more yard sales in the future.

What a rambling post this has been just thinking with my fingers. Lovely to do. Here are a few non-feline pics I have taken recently.

Oh, yes, the day lilies are blooming too.

VBS Last Day and new beginnings

2008-06-21T13:54:00.014-04:00

Friday was the final day of VBS for 2008. There was a new mural painted by Darla.

We finished the clothespin crosses

and came up with several ideas for using the left-over springs.

The kids played outside again,

practiced their songs then sang their songs for parents

and we ate pizza.
Parents were pleased and kids were active and all the adult participants said "Ahhhhhh!" as we put our feet up.

I only took my potted plants and some other items home Friday night. We will do the packing away Sunday after church.

The sky was beautiful, tinged with pink and delivering several nice shots.

But the evening wasn't over yet. Stormy cat delivered her babies last night after I got home. I was sitting in my recliner and she decided she wanted to sit with me in spite of the fact that my dog Sassy was already on my lap. So Stormy settled on my shoulder and chest. Just after 10 pm she started having contractions but showed no other signs of distress. Then at 10:15 I felt dampness on my shoulder and almost before I could get her in the birthing box we had placed between our chairs she delivered the first of 5 kittens.

The last was born at 1:03 am. All 5 are vigorous and suckling and cry for momma if she leaves them for even a moment. There are two black, two grey tiger stripes, and one black with white feet, nose, chin, and chest.

Smoke has been interested but has not tried to get in the box with them.

This was not a planned pregnancy and steps will be taken to prevent a repeat but they are so sweet right now. We are presently vastly outnumbered with 2 humans, 2 dogs and now 7 cats in this small house.

Hoops Frisbees and Pins - Day 4

2008-06-20T09:32:00.008-04:00

Last night the kids discovered themselves challenged on the playground. The purpose of the activity was to sail the frisbee into the hoop. The first team to reach 21 points won. Simple, right? It took them nearly the whole play period to achieve the goal. The little ones lost interest and climbed fences and such but the older kids could not believe they could not do this easily. Each team finally did reach 21 points.

Inside I tried to get a group photo of the kids in front of Darla's mural but everytime I clicked someone decided to change position. The joy of photographing children.

We finished the crosses last night for all those who were there. Our older kids (only 4 of those who started the crosses) were still missing for various reasons. I was so busy I forgot to take pictures of the completed crosses. I will have to remember tonight. I have a few partially completed crosses for anyone who did not come on either Wednesday or Thursday to finish tonight.

Our last night is tonight and there is no planned craft, just finishing up what needs finished and packing up supplies and decorations.

At home I let the dogs out and started over to Mom and Dad's to share the evening's activities with them. Sassy discovered a baby robin in the grass near the garage and chased it down the sidewalk. She actually had her mouth around it but never clamped down and the little thing made its escape under the gate. It fluttered and hopped its way into the bushes down by the front of the house and I later heard the parents and babe cheeping at each other there.

And the evening sky

And on the third day ...

2008-06-19T07:55:00.013-04:00

Glorious weather last evening, cool and sunny so the kids got to play outside and I finally remembered to go out and take pictures of them. It was some form of kick ball (adapted for the wide age range we have at VBS this year) and most of the kids participated gladly.

We had a few holdouts who thought they were too old to play with little kids

and some of the younger ones elected to try fence climbing and rope jumping instead.

But a good time it was.

The craft on Wednesday was the first day of construction of the Clothespin Crosses. The springs were removed ahead of time to cut down on pinches (my helper and I only suffered a few of those ourselves) and each child got a shirt box, wax paper, and deconstructed pins. Instead of individual glue bottles I poured the glue into small cups and gave them coffee stirrers to apply it with in hopes of cutting down on glops of glue. It seemed to work.

Even the holdouts from the playground were persuaded to join in and along with adult help we made good headway. All components are ready for the final assembly tonight.

Some of our older kids were away for ballgames and were not there last night but if they come tonight they will have opportunity to make a cross also. Unfortunately I cannot supply the large frames for each cross but each child will glue their cross to colorful paper backed by cardstock and will transport it home in the shirt boxes donated by a local store.

My feet have hurt so much from the concrete floor as I rarely sit down during VBS. Yesterday afternoon my DH suggested I get some of those gel insoles to put in my shoes. He was going to the drugstore and picked up some for me. Hallelujah! Peevishly I asked why he didn't think of this sooner but I am very very grateful. Now if we could do something for my lower back from bending over the tables to help kids ...

Another beautiful night sky to end the day.

Towers and Trumpets

2008-06-18T08:51:00.011-04:00

I always have something simple for the kids to do when they begin arriving to try to cut down on the possibility of misbehavior. Last night it was building the Tower of Babel. The book said to use gumdrops, jelly beans, and marshmallows but I wanted to cut down on the sugar ingestion and knew the building supplies would be too tempting. So I cut up some foam pool noodles into different shapes and sizes and let the kids go with toothpicks and foam. They were creative ...

We had a guest speaker come to talk to the children about some Jewish traditions, etc. He was wonderful and explained things very clearly so that even we adults were fascinated by him. The kids answered and asked questions and were generally very good.

Trumpets!

I have a book that gives materials and directions for making simple trumpets. Of course I adapted it for what we had available. The directions said to use funnels for the bell of the trumpet. We couldn't find a local supply cheaply enough and sister Beth came up with the most wonderful idea. We used the tops of water bottles that we saved ourselves or snatched from the kids when they finished with a bottle at VBS. We had a garden hose available (I spent the morning cutting it into 10" sections) and with just the hose, the bottle tops (thanks to the parents for helping cut those), duct tape, and aluminium foil we made trumpets.

I told the kids these were special trumpets. They only work thru the power of the mind. You can blow and blow and not make a sound or lo and behold you can make the most glorious noise!

They seranaded the kitchen staff with their trumpets and it should have been heard in Heaven.

We have enough left over supplies to do it again but the adults all voted for not this year.

The sky was beautiful again on the way home and I got a few pics of that too.

Tonight we start on the Clothespin Crosses. With the wide age range we have I am not certain how this one will go but I am determined that each child will take home a nice cross.

VBS 2008 Day 1

2008-06-17T08:02:00.014-04:00

Whew! Day 1 of Jerusalem Marketplace was wonderful. We usually have the decorating and set-up done at least the day before but this year, for various reasons, we had to do the set-up the same day VBS started.

(You can skip this paragraph if you want, it is all about the journey to the church and I just want to remember it.) DH, sister Beth, and I packed both my car and Dad's Tahoe in various intensities of rain around 11:30 am. Then I went directly to church and Beth took Mom to the hospital to find out what would be happening with Dad. All the way (3 miles or so) from home to church I am seeing patches of blue instead of solid grey (and singing "Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see" as a prayer). I passed in front of the local volunteer fire department just as the siren went off indicating an emergency. Never saw the trucks leave the building though. Parked on the sidewalk in front of church and in light sprinkles Darla and I unloaded my car along with the preacher April. We finished just as Beth arrived in the Tahoe and I moved my vehicle so she could have the favored position and we unpacked the Tahoe. The reason I mention all this is the steps/stairs. All of my supplies were in my basement. So DH and I were up and down my basement stairs carrying decorations and supplies out the back door and out to my car which had been parked near the gate in the lot between Mom & Dad's and our house. What didn't fit in the car was carried the rest of the way across the field to the Tahoe. At church it is only 3 steps up into the building but a flight of stairs down into the fellowship hall. Then I spent the rest of the day walking on a hard concrete floor.

Darla, April and I spent the next 6 hours setting up for VBS. Darla painted some wonderful panels this year.

We also hung some of the panels from last year to complete the Marketplace and set up little tableaus in places as well. I took my potted herbs up so the kids can experience where those flavors they don't yet know they really like come from and let the kids pluck leaves to taste during the VBS.

We set up my craft area much the same as last year. Darla and I both weren't sure we had so many tables last year but I am glad we set up as many as we did. The kids got to spread out for craft time and no one was bumping against anyone else. I think we used every chair counting the parents and adult helpers.

I didn't do a "window" this year but everyone commented they really like how my display looks. Many of the items on the shelf are yard sale finds including the gourd dipper on the top left, the bottles, cups and pitchers in various locations, the seashell lamp near the center, the cutting board on the right hand side of the table, etc. You can just catch a glimpse on the far right of the clothespin cross the kids will do later this week.

We were ready at 5:45 when the kids started arriving and kept going thru 8 pm. Eighteen kids and parents/grandparents the first night. Wonderful. The only time I sat down was when we had snack time.

The minister, April, led the singing with the kids.
I really love the music this year, too. I am enjoying this Holyland VBS series. I miss Jen who can't help this year because of bad migraines but we are still going to have a glorious time.

When we left the church around 8:30 the clouds to the south were amazing. The photo does not do justice to the enormous white mounds that were lit by the setting sun.

By the time I got home the clouds were tinged with orange from the lowering sun.

Then I went over to Mom & Dad's to check on them as Dad got home from the hospital yesterday. Beth wasn't able to do VBS yesterday as she had to provide transportation for them and stayed home to be sure someone was there if Dad needed help on his first day home. I showed them all the pictures and talked about who all was there and discovered that we had had dime-sized hail in Moundsville during some of the storms that passed thru during the afternoon when I was safely within the church basement and barely aware of the thunder (although the lights did flicker once). After that it was home, shower (oh, how welcome that was) and then sitting in my chair in the living room with DH watching Transformers again and barely staying awake. It was a very good tired, though.

Day 2 tonight and they get to make trumpets.

Yard "Sailing" and VBS

2008-06-15T07:11:00.008-04:00

Yesterday, Beth, Mom and I were out again in spite of the predicted rain. The night before we had thunderstorms and Saturday morning we discovered we had been blessed indeed. There were tree limbs and trees down on the street just north of us. A whole tree fell over just a few blocks away and on the way home we discovered the weeping willow at the upper end of the street had split and fallen. Thankfully both trees fell away from the houses they were close to. We did not even lose a garbage can lid. Beth said Mom called her to come downstairs during the storm and she knows there was at least one huge rumble that shook the house. DH and I could not have felt anything from outside the house as poor Sassy was tucked between us on the bed shaking the whole bed.

But back to the yard "sailing" we did yesterday. The first stop was an indoor sale with beautiful glassware and knicknacks. I found a creamer to match a sugar bowl I have had. On the way out Beth spotted a rustic dipper made from a gourd bowl and a hooked branch. We looked at it and commented how nice it would be for VBS but I was trying not to buy more decorations - I needed craft supplies. The lady came over and said to go ahead and take it since it was for a church. People can be wonderful.

Then we went to a block long yardsale on 5th Street. We managed one and were heading to the next when the rain began pattering down. Soon the patter became a shower and for the rest of the morning we were in various states of WET. It truly was yard SAILING from that point on. But we had fun. I found a number of items for VBS including pillows for the kids to sit on on the hard floor and a pad I can walk on at the crafts table to help absorb some of the impact of the floor. We went to see Dad at the hospital after we finished with the yardsales and were soaking wet walking into the hospital. Dad's doctor was at the nurses station when we walked in and was amazed to see the condition we were in. Beth used paper towels to dry her hair and Mom was glad to discover she had left a lightweight jacket in Dad's room from the night before so she could have something dry to wear. We went to lunch before going home and of course the rain came again - pouring down this time. Soaked again. Thankfully the rain let up and we were able to unload the Tahoe with no problem. So much fun but so tired.

And I still have lots to do to get ready for VBS which starts tomorrow night. Usually I have all my craft materials separated out for each craft and the general supplies packed. This year just hasn't worked the way it usually does. I still need to purchase some supplies and still have more materials to sort thru and separate. I have the crafts planned but don't have samples of everything yet. At least I can concentrate on VBS this week instead of work and VBS since I took the whole week off from work. I worked in the basement last night going thru supplies and figuring out what I still need. In fairly good shape but I will have to do more today.

This is a small pitcher I bought for Mom last week at a yard sale. She "collects" blue glass objects, usually birds, but we liked the pitcher.

Sugar's Favorite Song

2008-06-12T06:15:00.005-04:00

Sugar, the singing dog, is my sister's dog. Sam, who wanders thru the video, is her brother and my Dad's dog. My Sassy, who does not resemble them much at all, is also a litter mate along with my younger sister's dog, Peaches. Sugar is the only one that sings and this is her favorite song. She really loves it when the whole family sings this together. This is the only time she doesn't shy away from the camera but takes center stage.

Beth's birthday was last Saturday and I have been trying to upload this for a few days now but must have been doing something wrong.

Happy Birthday, Beth!

Pretty in Peony

2008-06-08T09:32:00.002-04:00

Air, I need air ...

2008-06-08T09:00:00.003-04:00

or ... The continuing saga of the recalcitrant air conditioning system ...

Yesterday afternoon, Bob came back to work on the a/c again. He cleaned the outside unit and trimmed away the encroaching ivy (last year's time in The Boot really let it get away from me and I have not caught up with the yardwork yet) and installed the new part. We had cold air coming from the vents again. He also decided to go ahead and add some coolant to help keep the compressor cool. Wonderful. An hour and half in the sweltering heat but we had some nice breezes. The water in the hose that was in the sun was very warm when I sprayed my hands to clean them off. But we HAD cold air.

Overnight, we froze up. Bummer. So now the fan is running to help thaw the unit out and the fan is back in the completely opened bedroom window blowing relatively cooler air into the house at 9 am Sunday morning. Hopefully we will thaw soon and be able to try the unit again soon. Temperatures are expected to be in the 90's today.

In answer to Jen's comment about what did we buy at the yard sales ... Oh, did we enjoy ourselves. We left the house just after 8 am on a small trip to McMechen which is barely 3 miles away. We drove one block and stopped at a yard sale, we drove another block and stopped at a yard sale, we drove a little further and stopped at a block long yard sale, and so on and so on. We finally made it to McMechen about 11:00 am with the back of Dad's Tahoe packed full. We got birds, fish, sheep (VBS supplies), dinosaurs, picture frames and mats (can't wait to fill them), a little wicker porch chair, and I can't remember what all else. Beth has to tell Jen about a particular wearable item SHE found and came home with. We walked a community yard sale in Glen Dale's Sun Valley Drive and got nicely pink from the sun. I am still glowing today.

On a further note, the reason we had Dad's Tahoe is that Dad is in the hospital with a cracked pelvis. On Friday he was moving the window a/c for his computer room out of the basement in preparation for installing it in the window again. He had gotten the unit outside and put down and turned to go back in the basement and rolled on his ankle and fell into the basement. He got up and moved a few things in the basement and then called Mom to come help him because HE said he had to go to the hospital (how unusual for my Dad to admit he is hurt). Emergency room for hours and finally admitted to hospital later that evening. He will be in hospital for at least a week. He is able to move around and is not stuck in bed but they want him to stay there for a time. I am taking Mom up to sit with him in a little while and Beth will pick her up and bring her home later.

Cats

2008-06-06T06:53:00.003-04:00

Doesn't he look sweet! Not yet a year old.

Her Imperial Majesty finally let me get a picture of her green eyes.

We have A/C again! My nephew's father-in-law came last night and went over the outside unit and got it working again. He thinks we have a loose contact and will pick up a replacement part today and come back again on Saturday, weather permitting, to install it. In the meantime, the unit is working on prayers. We also recently installed a programmable thermostat but had not yet used it with the A/C since it was not working. We woke up in the wee hours this morning to discover the A/C was off and the temperature had risen again. DH certain something had gone wrong again. So this morning I read the instructions for the thermostat and it is working properly. It came pre-programed from the factory and we had not changed the factory settings. I have now made adjustments for us and we will see how it works. Temperatures today climbing into the 90's.

Yard sales tomorrow! Quite a list in the local paper. Beth and I will be out early.

Wild Rose Dawn

2008-06-04T07:24:00.002-04:00

I have discovered an attraction to these types of photos recently. These roses are growing on the bank along the alley behind my house. When the grass cutters come again they may be gone but I hope they leave the roses and other wildflowers and just mow the field.

I wonder about my mind sometimes. Our air conditioner has been out since Sunday. We probably need to have the coolant recharged. So every fan in the house is running as my DH is constantly TOO HOT. Last night when we got home one of the fans decided it was not going to run anymore in spite of oil and WD40. Husband TOO HOT. I remembered where the little double window fan we have not used in a couple years was and put it in the bedroom window for overnight. Still TOO HOT ... This morning I remembered to raise the storm window so we actually are getting some cooler outside air. Duh! I'll have to tell him when he gets home tonight.

Flag photo

2008-05-29T07:13:00.002-04:00

This one is for Jen.

I thought this happy accident photo was interesting as it shows that what we believe in isn't the flag itself but what it represents - a way of life - freedom.

Shades of Purple Iris

2008-05-23T14:54:00.009-04:00

I have a long weekend starting today so I was out with the camera instead of on my way to work during the best light of the morning. Some of the shots are from last night, too.

Mom's Yard

2008-05-22T19:21:00.004-04:00

The irises are finally blooming.When I got home tonight the sun was perfect in Mom's yard so almost as soon as I got in the house I was out again with the camera. I got a number of good shots but I really like the iris and daisies together.