Gettin' around town

A friend gave me this cute little taxi to pass along to Big City Girl. The top flips up and the inside is hollow....perfect for hiding the family jewels, or a chocolate stash.

BCG tells me taxis are an excellent way to get around in the big city.

I've always wondered why they didn't call it the Big Banana.


Or the big Head of Lettuce.


She says taxis can also serve as moving vans, if a person has a need to move mostly small stuff a mile or so down the road......which BCG had to do recently when BCBF decided they might both benefit from having some space. Maybe you recall the post wherein I discussed the possibility of relinquishing my mom license.


I can pretty well visualize this moving process. One gathers one's stuff on sidewalk #1, hails a cab, throws stuff in cab, jumps in, jumps out, pulls stuff out of cab and places it on sidewalk #2......and then pays the fare plus a nice tip. Part of this process involves engaging a watcher--a good buddy who can babysit your stuff while it sits on the sidewalk. The Seinfeld armoire episode illustrates this very well.


BCG was planning to come for a visit today, but she overslept. So she promised to come next weekend instead. It will be good for Mr. Gadget and I to see her and reassure ourselves that she's weathering this storm. I'll restock her travel tissue holder....the one with the taxi print.....and send her home with some homemade cookies.....and maybe some toilet paper. Did I ever mention that toilet paper is like gold to kids once they move out? At some point, but not right away, I'll pass along a priceless bit of mom wisdom. "Men are like busses," I'll say. "There'll be another one along in five minutes."

Interim report card*

Just stopping by to report on the status of my current assignments. Reminds me of those mid-semester report cards that came to the house when TG and BCG were in school that basically just informed us they were showing up for class.....and working well with others. Which reminds me of those god-awful group projects that caused them so much pain. There was always someone in the group who did next-to-nothing and got to share the good grade earned by the others. "You'll be well prepared for life," I'd tell them. "There'll be at least one of those in every workplace."

Good thing my assignments are all solitary pursuits.

Here are some fabric flowers in progress for the front door wreaths. I've kinda lost interest in these (*student demonstrates lack of effort), but I'll press on. They'll look nice near the newly-manicured planting beds. This was a heart attack waiting to happen, I mean a fine bit of exercise to complement my weight loss plan.

The brown cedar mulch will provide a nice carpet for the deer when they arrive to eat the shrubs. Deer don't like tromping through the weeds.

I'm just about finished with the red pest, and that even includes re-knitting several inches of the back that required frogging to eliminate uneven stitches caused by a yarn flaw.......and then tinking (un-knitting stitch-by-stitch) a few rows when I realized I'd gotten so caught up in the excitement of a Yankee baseball game I decreased too many stitches for the armhole (* student shows lack of attention in math class).

The wren project is still in the works, with wren parents handling the egg incubation period with no need for my intervention (*student demonstrates aptitude for delegating responsibility). I'm sure they're looking forward to parenthood as much as I was. All hell will be breaking loose shortly.

And on top of all that, I made some progress at Weight Watchers. Today I lost 2.6 lbs. So tonight, to celebrate, Mr. Gadget and I are going out to dinner with some friends at a really good restaurant just down the street. When it came to choosing which night to go, I got to be the decider, and it seemed reasonable to pick the evening of the morning of my weigh-in. This way, if there happens to be a major train wreck, I'll have plenty of time to get that baby back on the tracks (*student shows excellent problem-solving abilities).

Memorial Day

This little soldier is not quite 4" high. He's made of felt and all by hand, I'm pretty sure. He lived for many years in my mother's jewelry box, and after she passed away he came to me. I wish I had asked more questions of my mother when I had the opportunity. Maybe during some of the many times we sat in her living room drinking coffee. But I think this soldier, who has a safety pin on his back, was purchased for her by dear ol' dad when he was stationed in the Philippines just after World War II.

Dear ol' dad was one of the fortunate ones. The war officially ended while he was onboard a ship going to it. So he spent a year overseas at a desk job--keeping track of pilot logs for the Air Force. He was home for my birth, and then gone for my first year. My mother and I lived for most of that year with her parents, and all I remember from that time is a picture of the Gerber baby on my grandmother's bedroom wall.

When his year was up, dad wrote to my mother and gave her an estimate of about when he'd be home. By that I mean a range of several days. I remember her telling me that one evening she was sitting in our apartment and was startled to hear him call her name. And about six hours later he knocked on the front door.

The other day while looking over the garden and the weeds in need of attention, I decided to further procrastinate and went in search of some floral decorations for the two grapevine wreaths that hang near our front door. I'm underwhelmed with the results. Something more creative and festive, and possibly even fabric-related is called for. Stay tuned.....

Sister Mary B

I never really plan what sort of an expression my dolls will have. I just put my pen to the fabric and end up with whatever. So it was a surprise when Sister Mary Bodacious ended up with "the look." If you went to Catholic school back in the day when just about all of your teachers were nuns, then you're probably familiar with "the look." I went to public school, so I have very little nun knowledge. Mr. Gadget, on the other hand, went to Catholic school, so over the years he has told me many stories from his youth. He has no end of nunisms.

I've probably got nuns all wrong. He tells me they don't wear earrings or eye shadow, and most certainly not red shoes with fishnet stockings. And most of them don't show this much hair. I can't help but think life in the nunnery would be much more exciting if nuns were allowed to accessorize.

Mr. G did say, though, that Sister M.B. should definitely have a little ruler, so I'll be looking around for one. Maybe a red one. I asked him if he recalled the nuns of his school days ever slapping misbehaving students. He said he didn't actually witness this, but he'd heard stories. Mostly, he told me, nuns would slap their rulers on the desks to wake up little sleepy-heads, or to startle non-attentive daydreamers. And he remembers it being loud enough to wake the dead.
The red patent leather shoes are so stylish, don't you think? So much more thrilling than those big black clunky nun combat boots, I mean sensible shoes. I so admire a nun who dares to make a fashion statement. Oops! I forgot her nail polish.....

Spring cleaning...heh

I've been doing a little tidying in the treehouse, but let's not call it spring cleaning, ok? I've always thought of that as some sort of seasonal disorder.

Last Sunday, on a trip to Michael's to take advantage of a 50% coupon (more on that later), I purchased these in anticipation of tidying up this:I've always assumed this kind of tangled mess was unique to me, but I've recently learned there are others who share this propensity for untidiness. It happens when the muse drives a stitcher to dive right into a new embroidery project. And when this has happened multiple times, well, there's all manner of disorder.

Then this morning when I stopped at Target to purchase supplies for the special order travel tissue holders.....

.....I found a cute and colorful metal bucket for only a buck. It's just the thing for keeping a tidy button collection.

Then I made my way up the road to Weight Watchers. My weight needs a tad bit of tidying too. Just a few years ago, after decades of struggle, I reached my goal. Then this happened....

.....and I just continued to cruise along like I'd never gotten off the boat. So today, for the record, I've officially disembarked.

Oh, and that 50% Michael's coupon I mentioned before? I decided to use it on the purchase of quilt batting. And since I have no intention of packing that in my suitcase, I'll keep the food quilt project here on the east coast. So now I'm thinking, maybe I need a little more yarn.......

Nun, interrupted

I've had to set Sister Mary aside for the moment, and she's not at all pleased.

But we have another graduate in the family, so she'll just have to understand.

Last night we went down to the city to join family members for a celebratory dinner at this very nice restaurant. My nephew is getting his Master's degree in theater arts later this week. His folks flew in, Mr. Gadget and I drove down, Tech Guy trained in, and Big City Girl hopped on the subway for the short two-stop trip. How nice that we didn't have to go all the way to Kansas.....

Not only were we celebrating nephew's graduation from the theater program, we were also toasting his good fortune in attracting the attention of an agent from one of those high-fallutin' talent agencies. Maybe someday we'll be able to say, "We knew him when....."

Here are TG and BCG enjoying the evening's festivities.

I've probably mentioned before that TG and BCG haven't always gotten along. Back during their high school years and most of their college years too, they spent much of their time avoiding each other. I was always hopeful that they would eventually grow up and realize how lucky they were to have each other. In fact, I liked nothing more during those difficult years than to remind them that someday they would each be grateful to have the other one in their life.

Now they're mostly all growed up and they often seek out each other's company. Just this past weekend, TG went to visit his sister and the two of them left their video games and rent-a-movies to visit an art museum. Cordiality was all I had hoped for, but to have two culture seekers is a real bonus.....

Here is a picture of BCG's dessert. Check out that cute little chocolate cow cookie!

And if you wouldn't mind indulging me just one more bird story.....Seems my cute little wrens have been wreaking havoc in the 'hood. You can read all about it here in my neighbor's blog. I apologized all over the place for these naughty birds, and I'll admit I felt a little bit like I did when the principal called to tell me my male child had dumped the contents of a classmate's backpack all over the school bus floor in 5th grade. She ever-so-nicely assured me I shouldn't worry, because after all, birds will be birds.

So you can imagine my surprise when I glanced outside today and saw what looked like two chickadees poking their heads into the wren house and flinging twigs out the door. Somehow, I don't think they were just re-arranging the furniture.....

Sister Mary Bodacious

This morning I did a rough sketch of the nun doll I envision. I plan to work on her this coming week, between the gardening chores I've managed to put off and finishing some travel tissue holders I've promised to a friend.

It's lovely here in the treehouse this morning with the sun streaming in. What with the nun and the light and it being Sunday and all, I feel like I'm having a religious experience.

Here's something I found the other day in the bowels of our basement:

It's one of BCG's high school ceramic projects, and it's perfect for storing my colored pencils. BCG was really thinking when she designed this piece. See that hole near the top? It's a perfect place for my middle finger and makes for easy lifting. You'd almost think she inherited some of her father's engineering skills.

So I've been looking over my food quilt top and I'm about to get my calculator out to see just how many rows of squares I'll need before it's complete and can be assembled....or maybe I should say sandwiched.
I may take this along on our next trip to SoCal and do the sandwiching there, since the condo complex has a big community room with tables that would make that process so much easier. I remember putting together Tech Guy's crazy quilt out on our deck many years ago, in the Fall, and a few dried leaves made their way into the sandwich.

The only problem I anticipate at the condo is the possibility of rules about such things. It's a place where curmudgeons never sleep. And they never let their guard down. They are ever-vigilent. I'm sure they might tell me I should have made a reservation to use the room and that a cleaning deposit is required....in the event that I leave fabric scraps around....or pickles or wilted lettuce.....

I guess I could take the whole thing down to the beach and do it there, but then there'd be all that sand. And I just hate sand in my sandwich, don't you?

Still recooping

Yesterday, Mr. Gadget asked me if I wanted to join him on a trip to Costco, but I politely declined. The thought of getting in the car to go anywhere makes me nauseous, although I did manage to drive myself to the dentist this morning.

"My, you've got quite a lot going on in your mouth," my dentist commented, after taking a quick look around.
"Yes, over the years I've amassed a good collection of your dental supplies," I said. "But at least I have good hair."

So yesterday I embarked on a quick and simple sewing project and finished the Wichita napkins.

Here they are with one of my favorite coffee mugs. Hmmmm......they really do match it pretty well. But of course I will march right over to the post office and mail them off to the prairie first chance I get.

And one more thing about the Wichita trip before I move on to crafty things....or maybe a nature study. Uncle Birdie and his family have a large backyard that's bordered on one side by the Little Arkansas River. Here's my niece wading in the muddy water.

This river meets the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita and the two converge into one. A beautiful park has recently been completed on the land that forms the delta. In the park is a huge metal Indian statue (The Keeper of the Plains) and walking bridges over each of the rivers just before they join.

We were fortunate the sun was shining on the day we visited. I was standing on one of the bridges and you can see the other bridge structure just to the right of the statue. Just pretend that tower of power isn't there, ok?

So I was sure the wrens would be done with their nest-building by the time we returned, but yesterday they were still busy hauling twigs into the house. Well, except for this lazy one who sat on the deck rail and sang most of the afternoon.

Some time ago I learned that birds will use all sorts of things in their nest construction....even scraps of yarn if they were easy to find. So I snipped off a couple of pieces from a ball of red pest sweater yarn, and even added some scraps of raffia. I put them right on the deck rail where Mr. Lazybones had been sitting.

So far, no takers. They're probably in their little red and white house laughing themselves silly. Maybe Uncle Birdie was right. Maybe I should go make another cheesecake....

Road warriors return

Mr. Gadget and I are back from our trip to the prairie. Please, if you ever hear me agree to making another 3,000-mile-six-days-in-the-car road trip, just slap me upside the head.

Most of our westward journey was in pouring rain. When we saw clear skies over Wichita, there was much gladness.
The weather was perfect for the eastward trek, so we were able to see some sights along the way.....like Nostalgia-ville, grandmas on Harley's.....and funny things on trucks, like a hand-lettered sign, "Show 'em if ya got 'em!"
There were 3 reasons for this trip: 1) to visit family members we don't see very often, 2) to be present when my sister-in-law received her Master's degree, and 3) to make a cheesecake for my brother-in-law (aka Uncle Birdie...more on this later).

Notice those cloth napkins and coffee mugs? Long ago I made some cloth napkins as a gift for Uncle Birdie and his family. They loved them and use them every day. Did I mention, Uncle B is a college professor and teaches environmental sciences? At one point he got right up in my face and demanded, I mean respectfully requested that I make some more, since their current supply is getting threadbare.

Here's a close-up of the coffee mug:

And here's some fabric I have in my stash for napkin-making:

So I mentioned that my brother-in-law is also known as Uncle Birdie, but not by his students or colleagues or anything like that. Just family. When Tech Guy and Big City Girl were very young, Uncle B was living nearby and getting his PhD in animal sciences....specifically ornithology, and that's how the name came to be. It was also during this time that I was going through my counted cross-stitch phase and I did a special piece for him.

And since we were right there in the presence of a bird expert, I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the wrens.

"Once the nest-building is done and the female lays the eggs, how long before they hatch?" I asked.

"Typically about 12 days," he said.

"And do you think they are happy with the red and white house, or should I have chosen something in more earthy tones with a front porch and an attached garage?"

"They'll be fine," he assured me. "Why don't you just stick to making cheesecakes."

Construction zone

I heard them singing before I got up this morning, and by the time I got downstairs they were already hard at work. There are two of them, and they seem to be sharing the chores. I guess they like the house, since they didn't do much scoping out of the territory before they started hauling twigs inside. It's nice to have them back, even though we will be gone during most of the construction phase. At least we'll be back in time for the family-raising part. And I do admire their skill at the kicking-kids-out-of-nest thing. Some of us humans could have used this tutorial in years gone by.

So the road trip preparations are underway. I still have a load of laundry to do. I've wrapped a few gifts to take along, using the gift-tagging method I learned from dear ol' dad. He used to cut out big block letters from construction paper--one for the first letter of each of our names--and glue them onto the packages. I'm carrying on an important family tradition.

I plan to knit on the red pest cardigan during my non-driving time. It continues to cause me pain. I noticed a flaw in the yarn right in the middle of the back, about 3/4 of the way up. I should have fixed it right away, but I chose to believe it would look fine when the piece was done. It really doesn't.....so I may do a little frogging and fix the darn thing.

Oh, and I've learned since my last post that Kansas is known more for its wheat than for its corn. What do I know. I'm city folk. I'll be sure to get a picture of it though. To a city gal, that wheat-growing thing is a tourist attraction.....

Road trip

Mr. Gadget and I have now firmed up our travel plans, and we'll be leaving Wednesday morning.

We'll be visiting Mr. G's brother and family in Wichita and celebrating my sister-in-law's completion of her master's degree. We've been to Wichita once before, with BCG and TG in tow, and didn't expect to enjoy it as much as we did.....it being the prairie and all.....with all that corn. So we're looking forward to our return trip, but to be perfectly honest, not to all that driving to and fro.

There's something very important to remember about Wichita and it's that you should never spell it Witchita.

I couldn't help noticing an interesting little town on the Kansas map, not too far from our route.

See that little town called Bazaar? Isn't that bizarre! I wonder if they're known for bazaars? I suppose a person who likes to shop at such places could get hung up there for a day or two. And I guess if there were some interesting street performers, like maybe belly dancers, quite possibly Mr. G wouldn't mind if I did a little browsing....

I'll be sure to make note of other interesting town names along the way. I'll have the laptop on this trip, so I'll be able to report on any important breaking news .....like how high the corn is growing and stuff like that....

So my friend was very happy with the veggie ensemble I gifted her with the other evening. While we were visiting, she mentioned she'd like to give a small gift to some women she meets with occasionally, and she'd like something with a bee theme. So I said, "Hang on!" and I ran upstairs to the treehouse and returned with this:

I suggested the small tissue holders and I have just enough to make half a dozen. She was so happy with this news she was buzzing. The reason I bought this fabric a few years ago was because it was just too darn cute to pass up. I figured I'd find a use for it eventually. It's Sara Dipity I tell you!

So now that I've made tissue holders for just about everyone I know, I should probably make one for myself....and I have just the fabric:

Then again, maybe I'd be better off, especially after the big graduation party and all that celebrating out on the prairie, to find something with carrots and celery.....

Birthday veggies

Tonight Mr. Gadget and I will be meeting friends at a local restaurant for dinner, and it will be a good opportunity to deliver a belated birthday gift. The Mrs. always enjoys receiving something I've handmade. Not everyone does. I know it's hard to believe..heh...heh... She is sure to get a chuckle out of this veggie ensemble. I'm just sorry I can't include those little numbered stickers you see in the grocery store that tell the checkers what to put in the cash register. I've always wondered if the produce clerks ever get bored putting those things on every apple and tomato. Then again, a job that lets you zone-out might not always be a bad one to have. And I wonder if you're like me. Just before you wash a tomato, do you stick that sucker on the side of the sink....and then have to scrape it off later?

Here's the whole bunch of veggies I made long ago, and that I've been slowly giving away as gifts to friends who have always acted pleased as punch to get them. It's possible most of them ended up in the compost pile, but at least everyone's been considerate enough not to let on.

So Mr. G and I are getting ready for our road trip next week. Details will follow shortly. We will be taking my car....you know, the one with the spare tire and the jack. And the automatic transmission. I doubt we'll need the 4-wheel drive, since where we're going is mostly prairie, unless it would be helpful for tornadoes, but I think not.

The wrens still haven't returned, and I hope they don't sneak in after we're gone. I really enjoy watching them arrive, scope the place out, and then alert the moving van. And how they get all those twigs in that tiny hole of a front door is beyond me. Quite possibly there's a lesson here. Maybe there is a way I can squeeze into last years' jeans......

Daisy

So today, while anxiously awaiting the arrival of house guests , I finished my latest garden angel. I think I'll name her Daisy.
I wasn't quite sure how to decorate her collar. First, I attached a yellow fabric flower, but it hid her mouth, so I nixed that idea. I considered ribbon roses, but that would have clashed with the daisies. I finally decided on a gold heart button. In an attempt to tie the whole ensemble together, I decorated her shoes with small green fabric yo-yo's and gold beads. Thank goodness there are no fashion police in the doll world.
And since I was in an embellishing mood, I embroidered her wings, and glued on a store-bought bee. That last part is called cheating, I know. I crocheted her collar, and painted and beaded her shoes. I would have knit her a little something, but that would have definitely been over-the-top.

So while I'm showing you a few more pictures of Daisy, I'll tell you that Mr. Gadget had his car serviced today, in preparation for the possible road trip we may be going on shortly. And as we were having lunch, and waiting for the call that the car was ready, Mr. G. told me he was having second thoughts about taking his car, and maybe we should take mine instead.

Seems he was concerned about the possibility of getting a flat tire, in light of the fact that his car doesn't have a spare. That's incredible, I know. Even the service guy at the car dealership couldn't believe it. Apparently the weight of the spare would somehow unbalance the car and hinder its performance. But there is a flat fix-it kit which is supposed to allow a driver to repair a tire without having to even take it off the car. That's why there isn't a jack either....

One handy gadget that Mr. G's car has, though, is smart windshield wipers, and I'm going to miss these terribly if we have to take my car. Somehow the windshield senses if there is rain falling and then sends a message to the wipers to get to work. It's sure going to take a lot of extra effort if I have to: #1....figure out if it's raining, and #2....move that little lever thingie up and down.....