The Macaroni Monologues

Strike up the band!

2012-01-25T13:30:00.010-05:00

Sorry I've been away from the blog, but I've been celebrating. I found out from my little circle of dollmaking friends that Chef Vinny made the cut for publication in the Spring 2012 edition of Art Doll Quarterly. Here's the cover:

The magazine should be out in stores on February 1. I have a subscription but haven't received my copy yet. Mr. Gadget and I have our mail forwarded once a week while we're at the Calcondo, so I'm hoping I'll have mine tomorrow. I guess if I was a gal who wore a cap, there would be a nice feather in it! Stay tuned for pictures.

As usual, I have taken on too many crafty projects. I haven't had time to start the paper mache project yet. I did finish knitting the green sweater and have started the sewing-it-together process.

I've done a little sanding on the clay bird and now have to make him some wire legs and feet. I'll be setting up my work table outside later today since we're now having some nice high-70's weather. Have I mentioned it's been a bit nippy?

I have to finish the toes on this pair of socks. This is the part that requires total concentration and absolute quiet. I've sometimes had to resort to duct-taping Mr. Gadget's mouth for the duration.

And then there are the sunsets--which require a person to drop everything and run outside with the camera. This is not, by the way, a good time to finish socks or stir fry.

Marvin Gardens

2012-01-18T23:00:00.007-05:00

There are some residents here at the Calcondos who really miss the big yards they once had, and the opportunity to garden. Our neighbor, Marvin, is one of these. No sooner had he moved in than he took on the job of planting and embellishing the small areas of dirt around our building. The grounds crew takes care of the large bushes, but there is lots of nothingness in-between.
Dolly, who lives next door to Marvin, was inspired to do a little garden decorating of her own.
Mr. Gadget and I, who reside next door to Dolly, were so embarrassed by our lack of garden art we couldn't even open our curtains or show our faces in the neighborhood. So I moved the painted rock turtle out by the front gate.

Things look so much better now and we can hold our heads up high. Although, all things considered, I think I'd rather live on Baltic Avenue or the Boardwalk.

So I've been perusing paper mache websites in preparation for starting a new project. I have something in mind to make and I've found some wonderful inspiration. Once I get underway, I'll share the process.

Meanwhile, I need to clean up a few of my little areas of interest (you know, like those crime story persons of interest but much more messy.) There's the green sweater--a sleeve here and a front there, the tiger scarf--on the verge of becoming a dust rag, the clay bird with only one wing, and the photo-sorting ordeal. Maybe I'll just forget it all and go ask Marvin if he needs an apprentice.

Beauty queens

2012-01-15T16:37:00.004-05:00

I just read in the newspaper that Miss Wisconsin won the Miss America title for 2012. If she happens to be reading, I'd like to offer her my heartiest congratulations...

As I was walking around the neighborhood earlier today, I noticed the large variety of vegetation and I got to thinking.....what if there was a beauty contest for trees.

This one would certainly be up there in the top 10, whereas.......
.....this one would have to hide its head in shame.

So this weekend, I'm pretty sure, is known as Football Weekend all across America. Men everywhere are planted in front of their big-screen TVs, and women are shopping. Well, all women except for me. I've been making guac for Mr. Gadget and keeping him well supplied with chips and beer.

This morning, during the first game--or the 3rd of the weekend 4--I started a small clay project. A bird. A bird whose head might be a little too big for its body. A whimsical bird. It's much too early to show him on the blog, but he'll be similar to the one in this post that I made long ago. He'll be an earthquake bird. If we get a little jolt--as we so often do here in SoCal--he will most certainly fall over, and then I can call the news channels and report in.

And from the Only in California file......on Friday I went to the grocery store, and on my way out of the parking lot I almost ran down a pickle. Yes, there was a big green pickle sauntering across the lot not even looking where he was going. Come to find out, he was on his way to the corner--his office as it were--where he would hold up a sign and shake it to and fro to advertise a store in the shopping center called "Mr. Pickle." I don't know if it's a franchise. And no, I don't know if it was a sweet pickle or a dill....

If only I'd waited.....

2012-01-11T19:00:00.001-05:00

....I could have celebrated my 6th blogiversary with 6 palm trees. Wouldn't they have looked nice on top of a cake! A big chocolate cake. With sprinkles and buttercream frosting. Oh well....

Mr. Gadget and I arrived at the Calcondo on Saturday, after a pleasant and uneventful flight in our usual seats--17A and B. Mr. G is a creature of habit, and I'm just kinda like a cling-on. Things were shipshape in the condo, and best of all the ants were gone. They must be vacationing in Mexico. Although I did get quite a fright when I opened one of my plastic craft storage drawers and saw a big pile of black stuff in the back. I was sure it was an ant cemetery. But then I remembered I'd filled Chef Vinny's wine bottle with black sand and some had leaked out of the bag.

And speaking of Vinny, it won't be long till I find out if he made the cut for the Spring issue of Art Doll Quarterly. It should be hitting the newstands around the first of February. Meanwhile, I've been pondering what direction my dollmaking might take in the future. I love making cloth dolls, but craft shows this past season were not very profitable. It's nice to have selling opportunities, otherwise they collect in the closet and there's no end of trouble then.

I have a few projects planned for my west-coast time. One is to finish a green pullover sweater I started long ago. I had to rip out the front and back because I made such a stupid mistake I'm ashamed to tell you, so I won't. I'm also going to hand-sew the hem in the tiger scarf--the one to hide my turkey neck. There might even be a clay project starting up soon. Lots of possibilities.

Mr. G and I had plans to follow a healthy eating and exercising regime while we're out here. The weather is nice for walking and the farm markets are open all year. Yesterday we walked to the local market (about 3 miles round trip) where I bought a bag of nutritious brussel sprouts and Mr. G bought some corn muffins and a small rum cake. I told him I'd trade a few sprouts for just a teeny tiny taste of his cake, but he wouldn't budge. That's ok. I know where it is. I'll just wait till he takes out the trash.

A mishmash

2012-01-05T15:05:00.002-05:00

Mr. Gadget and I packed up all of the Christmas decorations, and then promptly filled the void with boxes of family pictures. We now have a new photo scanner. Soon we began the tedious task of sorting--sitting side-by-side on the couch, looking through them one-by-one, and voting on the good, the bad, the ugly. It was almost as painful as wallpapering with a spouse, but nothing hurts quite as badly as that.

There were a few surprises in the boxes. One was a ziplock bag containing old shirt buttons. Another was this teeny, tiny letter written by my great-grandmother to my mother--which required a magnifying glass.

It's a sweet little letter from a grandma to her granddaughter--not unlike one a grandma might write today. Except, just before she signed off she said she had to go milk the goat. I'm not even sure I'll ever have grandchildren, but if I do I don't think I'll ever be a goat-milking grandma.

I've finished most of the machine quilting on the food quilt. The job I did is pretty pathetic, so I'm never going to allow it out of the house. On the plus side, there are so many busy prints they should distract from the uneven stitching and the bumps and puckers. I definitely need to read Quilting for Dummies before I think about making another one.

So Mr. Gadget and I are about to embark on our winter trek to the Calcondo. Preparing for this trip is lots easier than it used to be. Mr. Gadget has pretty much an entire wardrobe out there, so he doesn't need very much suitcase space. But since my clothing size is ever-changing I have to take more, so I encroach. I'm an encroacher extraordinaire.

Now I'm trying to think of something witty to end this blog post with, but I must be at my wit's end. Maybe I'll go look for a goat. Which reminds me....I had an older cousin who used to have farm animals. One day we were visiting and this cousin--I won't mention names--was milking his goat and he called me over to watch. And then he squirted fresh goat's milk in my face. I've never been fond of goats since then, and I've never forgiven my cousin.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T16:06:00.003-05:00

I was lost in a hot-flashy brain fog,

when a friend suggested, "Why don't you blog?"

Did I really begin 6 years ago?

With this silliness you graciously undergo?

You could be watching old reruns of the yule log.

To lift or not to lift?

2011-12-30T13:12:00.007-05:00

During my last two visits to SoCal, I had lunch with an old friend from my working days. We went to the same restaurant both times, and we even sat in the same booth. All of that sameness provided the perfect backdrop for assessing the results of the neck lift she had gotten between our visits. The difference was quite striking. In fact, it got me to thinking.....

Maybe one day I could say adios to my turkey neck.

As we sipped our wine, she related her surgery experience and the not-exactly-a-piece-of-cake recuperation. By the time we got to our second glass of wine I was having second thoughts. Then she said something that really sealed the deal. She said, "If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it."

When I got home, I started thinking about possible alternatives for ridding myself of my TN. Exercise? Nah. Preparation H? Definitely not. Magic wand? Perhaps. Then it hit me. The perfect, painless, low-cost solution. And I hopped in the car and drove to Joann's.

I bought a third of a yard of a silky-like fabric in a lovely jungle print.

I've never actually sewn a scarf before. The idea of putting something slippery in the sewing machine kinda scares me. But my Armenian friend--the lady from the writing group--used to be a seamstress and she gave me some pointers. I'm going to give it a try.

If I'm successful I'll be making lots and wearing them everywhere. They won't completely cure my TN, but they'll definitely take the edge off.

Leftovers

2011-12-28T15:07:00.006-05:00

It's always nice to have plenty of leftovers in the fridge so you can put off a trip to the grocery store. Although it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to put off that trip. Did you know you can make an omelette out of just about anything?

Now that I'm in a craft-show hiatus, I've decided to finish the food quilt that's been languishing in the pantry for months. After all, it's almost the first of January when hordes of us usually resolve to make better food choices--like peppers, fish, greens, and the occasional jelly bean.

I very wisely gave up on the idea of hand quilting. My frequent companion, Arthur Itis, has taken possession of my main sewing finger and kind of put the kibosh on things. Fortunately, I have a fall-back positon.

I really thought sewing long, straight lines on a quilt sandwich would be a piece of cake. But no. The occasional bumps and detours along the way--which don't even qualify as food products--are causing some nasty indigestion. I keep reminding myself this is a learning project. Thank goodness for Tums.

The short version

2011-12-26T11:08:00.006-05:00

Our Christmas was fine--

the salad dressing divine.

Antie Pasto stopped by

just in time for the pie.

Then we all found a place to recline.

Are we there yet?

2011-12-20T14:17:00.004-05:00

Five days and counting. I wonder if anyone would notice if I just sat in my recliner and knitted till Christmas?

Things have been busy here, but I did discover a fast and easy.....not to mention cheap...way to make gift tags. It's thanks to these--something I bought long ago when I was into making fabric banners:

These would look much more festive in glittery paper, but I was interested in using what I had and avoiding another trip out into the hectic holiday traffic. I could, of course, glue some glitter on them, but then there's sure to be a nasty vacuuming job. I think they're swell as-is.

I gave the book of stories to the Armenian lady in my writing group and she was very pleased. Unfortunately, I took a picture of the wrong house. I was sure I had the right one--with that nice little shop area on the bottom floor. Tomorrow is the last scheduled meeting of the group, but they've said they want to continue without me while I'm gone--which I'm pleased about and which I'm taking as a compliment.

Big City Girl and Tech Guy will be arriving on Christmas Eve and staying over in anticipation of Santa's visit. TG and BCG sometimes get along like oil and vinegar, so I'm hoping this year we'll have a tasty, well-blended salad dressing.

I'm off now to wrap some gifts. Here's hoping your holidays are festive and full of cheer....and free of annoying salad-dressing issues...

Crafts close to home

2011-12-13T13:50:00.010-05:00

Today Mr. Gadget and I took a short ride down the road to visit the annual holiday sale at a local craft center. I also wanted to take a picture of the house that's directly across the street from the center.

But more on that later.

It wasn't long ago that the craft center, which is run by volunteers and was established in the 1950's, ran out of money and had to close. But then some enthusiastic and energetic souls decided they couldn't let that happen and they rallied. Here are some of my favorites from their holiday collection:

And now, more about the house. For many years it was the home of the Armenian lady from my writing group whose stories I've been recording and transcribing. She and her husband lived in the house and had a cleaning and tailoring business down on the bottom level. I've just finished typing and assembling the stories I've recorded so far, and I thought it was important to include a picture of the house that was their home for many years.

I've put the collection in a loose-leaf binder which will allow for more to be added later. I'm going to present it to her tomorrow at our weekly meeting. I hope she likes it.

And now I'm going to address some envelopes. I have no Christmas letter to put in them yet, but all in good time.

Bowled over by the Christmas spirit

2011-12-11T15:09:00.005-05:00

Here's the rock all dressed and ready for the holidays. I wasn't sure I'd be able to finish it because, as I said in my last post, I was pretty sure it was a job for a 3-handed person. But I left it on the table overnight and went back to it the next day. And it's as if the muse of unusual crocheted objects had intuited my distress and came to my rescue. I was able to hold the rock cupped in my left hand and work the crochet hook quite easily with my right. Those muses can be very helpful. I don't appreciate them enough. Maybe I'll bake some thank-you cookies.

And then, as if I hadn't wasted enough time, or crocheted enough unusual objects, I decided to dig through my stash for some yarn to make bowls.

Here's the bawdy one to give some perspective.

My plan was to felt both bowls. I was certain the darker one was 100% wool--and thereby feltable--but I wasn't sure about the other. Disappointingly, neither of them felted. Win a few, lose a few. The little one will sit next to my recliner chair and hold my glasses, scissors and Snicker snacks. No. Scratch the Snickers. The other one--which I had planned to gift to Big City Girl and which I had visualized as a lovely blended artsy-looking stripey thing--will sit in the Treehouse and collect stuff.

Yesterday I went up to the old hotel to fetch my unsold crafty items. I had no idea what to expect, but of course I had hoped they would have called me to let me know that everything had flown out the door and there was nothing left to fetch and they would be happy just to mail me a check, but no such luck. I had to make the trek. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that 4 of 8 dolls sold, 8 of 10 felted flowers sold, and several mini sweaters and felted birds were gone. Sadly, I had to bring the gecko home. He's suffering from what I suspect is an inferiority complex and he's lurking behind my recliner in the fake ficus.

So Mr. Gadget and I managed to get the house decorated for Christmas this weekend. Mr. G's job is to put the lights on the tree, and my job is to put everything else on it. For some reason the light-stringing process was especially stressful this year. There may have been a few naughty words that were not in keeping with the holiday spirit. Maybe next year we should trade in our lightless tree for one of those pre-lit ones. Either that or I'm going to get some of those big ear protectors the airport ramp guys wear. Maybe I'll leave a note for Santa.

The well-dressed rock

2011-12-06T14:58:00.006-05:00

You would think with December moving along at breakneck speed, I'd be doing my Christmas shopping, or cookie-baking, or putting up the tree and decorations. But no. Instead, I've been spending my time crocheting outfits for rocks.

This is kind of a special rock. I have a weird habit of picking up little rocks from some of the places I visit. I have no idea where most of them are now, but this one has managed to survive on my windowsill. After Christmas I'll tell you the story of this rock. It will be a very short story--maybe two sentences. I'm hoping by then I'll have this rock-crocheting skill mastered. Unlike making people clothes, rock clothes must be finished while the rocks are wearing them. Therein lies the challenge.

Here are some wonderful examples of rock couture. These give me hope that someday I, too, will be able to dress my rocks without having to grow a third hand.

I also find tree sweaters intriguing.

My Grandma Ferna, who taught me how to crochet, passed away over 30 years ago. But if we were to have a conversation today I think it would go something like this:

"Grandma, you'll never guess what I'm working on," I'd say. "I'm crocheting coats for rocks and knitting sweaters for trees."

I'm pretty sure Grandma would say, "Oh, for pity sakes!" Either that or, "My stars!"

Mr. Gadget has his say

2011-12-04T13:53:00.011-05:00

It was a beautiful morning in our neck of the woods, so Mr. Gadget and I took a walk around the neighborhood. I had my camera and Mr. G. had a few things on his mind.

"There are just too many lawyers," he said. "They've got their safety instructions, their safety recalls, their safety this-and-thats."

Was that a nest or just a clump of leaves, I wondered?

"Do you know my new can of shaving cream has instructions on it?" he said. "Not in words, but stick-figure instructions--so men of all races, colors, nationalities and creeds can be offended without prejudice," he went on. "I'm surprised those lawyers didn't require instructions in Braille, so even the blind could be offended."

"That's really something," I said as I continued to scope out the trees.

"How can a grown man get to be a man without knowing how to operate shaving cream?" he asked. "After all, it's not rocket surgery."

"Hold on a minute," I told him as I raced across the street to grab another shot.

"It's kind of like when you got your new iron with the safety instructions that said not to iron your clothes while wearing them," he continued.

"And you know what else?" he said--obviously getting torqued-up (that's one of those mechanical-engineering terms he throws around now and then.) "One-a-Day Vitamins."

"Right under the name One-a-Day it tells you the dosage is one per day. I'd like to see a creepy little stick figure choke on one of those fat pills."

As we headed home I told him I had plenty of bird-nest pictures. "I'm pretty sure you're ready to relax and de-torque, and I have a great idea," I said. "You can put the lights on the Christmas tree."

Crawly things

2011-12-01T21:20:00.006-05:00

I bought some of this fabric many months ago.

I finally got around to making something out of it.

When I saw this fabric in the store, I knew right away I had to buy it to make a gecko. He's a little more than 12" long and he was a real bear to stuff. Good thing Mr. Gadget got me that 12" hemostat. I was thinking it might be fun to make one with magnets in his feet ...you know, so he could hang on the fridge or sit on the hood of the car. But I don't know if I have another gecko in me. Maybe a snake. Definitely something without skinny little appendages.

I took the gecko to the old hotel for their Christmas show this weekend. I have no idea if he'll sell. I put a good price on him.....since he was such a bear and all. If no one feels inclined to buy him, I'll just bring him home and let him live here for the time being.

It feels so good not to have a doll deadline. I love making them, but I love being done for the season. By the way, here's my second morning lady.

Her pink hair rollers are wooden beads I found at the dollar store--so much easier than having Mr. Gadget cut a dowel into pieces and drill holes through the centers. Can you see the coffee in her mug? It's light-coffee colored fabric with white swirls. They almost turned her away at Dunkin Donuts because she looked so frightful...

Horsing around

2011-11-28T09:41:00.002-05:00

I know a little kitty named Baloney,

who thinks he's really a pony.

But he doesn't like hay,

and he won't be ridden--no way!

Is he psychotic....or just a big phony?

It's Howdy Doody Time!

2011-11-23T18:39:00.004-05:00

Just when I thought things were quieting down, I've found something new to worry about.

Marionette lines. Do you see them on Howdy? All this time I've been feeling smug about my lack of wrinkles, and come to find out.....I've got ML's. There's nothing to be done about them, although the cruise ship's spa--where I learned about this affliction--promised they could remove them. But cruise ship spas make lots of empty promises. They also promised they could get rid of frown lines, smile lines, crow's feet, and just about anything else that torments a mature woman. Which makes me wonder if they have a treatment for removing annoying husbands.....like the ones with ill-fitting toupees, or the ones who dare to wear black socks with white sneakers, or those who parade around the pool deck in their Speedos.

Mr. Gadget, who used the gym facilities regularly (he's such a good boy), reported back to me about some of the treatments available at the spa--just in case I was interested.

"You can get a hot-rock treatment where they put heated rocks on your back," he said. "It's supposed to be therapeutic."

"That's silly," I said. "Next summer I'll just get some rocks from those rock-wall building guys at our condo. I'm sure they won't charge me what they're charging here."

"They were really promoting some kind of super liposuction treatment," he said. "It's supposed to remove your cruise weight gain before you leave the ship."

"Why bother?" I told him. "I'm just going to pig out on Thanksgiving."

"Do you want to hear about the volcanic lava body scrub?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I'm going to stay out of the spa. Actually, I'm feeling very confident and secure as I embark on my new life as a puppet."

If you're thinking of doing a craft fair....

2011-11-19T20:22:00.012-05:00

Make sure you get up early enough to have a hearty breakfast. You'll need to be well-fortified for a long day and it's likely that the only food you'll find available will be sweet rolls and hot dogs.

Pack all of your crafty items in the back of your car. If you're organized, you will have done this the night before. If you're crazy, you will have left your items in the car from the craft show you did the day before--the show that completely bombed.

You'll arrive at the craft show venue and seek out your table location. Then you'll return to your car as many times as necessary to unload the contents, and you'll stash everything under the table so it will be out of the way, but within easy reach as you begin the process of arranging things.

As you begin to arrange things in some sort of thoughtful and attractive way, keep an eye on the clock and pace yourself so you'll be all ready for business when the doors are flung open and the throngs of shoppers rush inside.

Take a few moments to look around at your neighboring crafters. If you notice one that has an unusual amount of exuberance and flits around socializing with everyone in her vicinity, be glad that you planned your arrangement to include a handy tent--just in case you need to get under there on the quick.

Or, you can slouch down behind your red hat lady (or your red poodle that has been knitted around a wine bottle) and pretend to be on your phone. Or you can review your sales numbers and try to figure out why they aren't lots higher.

Don't forget to take some busy work....for those slow times. You might be able to get a couple of Christmas presents done.

Most important of all, don't stress and do keep your sense of humor. Count your blessings that you only have a few dolls and ornaments to schlep home, and not something like heavy painted furniture or a couple dozen reindeer covered in greenery with blinking lights.

When you get home, put your feet up and ask your hubby if he wouldn't mind ordering a pizza because you're awfully tired and don't really feel like cooking. And maybe he'd even bring it over to your recliner along with a beer.

And tomorrow you'll sleep in, and then maybe you'll consider taking up another kind of hobby. Something like wood carving, for instance, or stamp-collecting.

I guess it's still Fall...

2011-11-15T14:50:00.005-05:00

....even though we've already had the snowstorm of the century...you know, the one we missed. There are lots of these little trees around our condo complex and they're all red and yellow. While I do enjoy seeing the colors, I also like to see them bare because almost every one is home to a bird's nest. I find it incredible that most of them survive the winters. I marvel at the birds and their structural engineering skills. They know a thing or two about construction....and they never have to endure the headaches of getting a building permit or approval from the condo association to add a patio or a trellis.

Mr. Gadget--who is also a skillful engineer--is always more than willing to help me out with my crafty needs. I asked him recently if he could whip me up something with his saw and drill. Warning: Put on your sunglasses before you look at the next picture.
I decided to paint the something red so it would be festive.

It's not exactly what I had envisioned, but it's Mr. Gadget's interpretation of what I had in mind. It will certainly get the job done--which is to display the sweater ornaments on my craft table. Mr. G. and I have been married for over 30 years and one of the reasons we've made it this far is because I often say, "Thank you!" instead of "What in the world were you thinking?"

Slogging toward the weekend

2011-11-14T11:43:00.007-05:00

I mentioned before that I have two craft fairs scheduled next weekend. I usually like to spread them out, but hey, nobody listened to my suggestions. So I'm trying to pace myself and not get too crazy.

It should be easier than previous years--with less dolls and more ornaments. All of the ornies are in that box. And the dishcloths are lightweight for easy schlepping.

Here are a couple of tablecloths and some bags. Both fairs will supply my table, so that's one less thing to worry about. I'm going prepared because I've learned from past mistakes. If I end up with an 8-ft. table, I'll use the extra-long red plaid tablecloth. But most likely I'll have a 6-ft. table so I'll use my fitted green tablecloth with a skirt (currently in the laundry basket) that goes all the way to the floor--to cover up unsightly boxes and other junk that crafters stick under their tables. Also, it provides a nice tent for when I feel like I just need to get away from it all. Or if I want to eat an extra donut.

Here's my little table-top tree for displaying the ornies.

I have a smaller one too, but I'm not sure if I'll take it. I like that saying: "less is more."

I should remember that when I'm approaching the cruise buffet, but just like these folks I always seem to forget.

Dicey but delightful!

2011-11-10T11:47:00.007-05:00

Mr. Gadget and I are back from our high-seas adventure. Here was the dicey part:

In the car on the way to the Brooklyn pier on October 29--the day of the big storm that came out of nowhere and shut down the northeast for most of the time we were gone. Were we lucky or what?

When we finally did get to the ship, here's what we found:

Snow on the deck chairs.

About an hour before sailing time, the captain announced that we would spend the night tied to the pier because of nasty weather and rough seas, and we'd be leaving bright and early the next morning. This didn't bother us too much. We just pretended we were cruising and didn't look out the windows.

Once underway all was delightful--especially the Halloween celebration.

I never realized a pumpkin could be carved without removing those yucky innards.

There were some great costumes--obviously worn by people who didn't have to fly home with baggage weight restrictions.

I have no idea who these guys are. Probably stowaways.

So now it's back to the Treehouse for some speed-crafting. I have two craft shows next weekend and I never know when enough is enough. It's an addiction. I'm a hopeless victim of a hobby-gone-wild.

A note to Sue who asked me a question in the comments: I live in Brookfield which is very close to New Milford. Gaylordsville is about 15 miles north of here on Rt. 7. Thanks for reading!

Pushin' the pause button

2011-10-28T19:10:00.002-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I are filled with glee,

because tomorrow we're heading out to sea.

It's supposed to snow,

so it's a good time to go!

We'll be back, but there's no guarantee.

Not that other gecko

2011-10-27T10:56:00.004-04:00

I wasn't planning to make another gecko, but sometimes I just come across a fabric that announces to me--right there in the store for all to hear--"I must be a gecko!" The earlier gecko was a special order, but this one will sit on one of my craft-fair tables until someone--most likely a grandma--comes by and says, "I must have that gecko for my grandchild!" If that doesn't happen, I will give it to Tech Guy for Christmas. He loves reptilian things. And he's already got a cage and a food dish...

This gecko isn't quite finished. He still needs some beady eyes. Did you notice the hemostat? Just like surgeons use. These are monster 12-inchers. I already have some 5 and 7-inchers and they are very handy for stuffing things. These biggies are a recent acquisition, and it's all because a new tool store opened up in town.

Mr. Gadget saw an ad in the newspaper for the tool store grand-opening. There's an algebraic equation that goes something like this: Knitters' Heaven is to me as tool store is to Mr. Gadget. So off he went, leaving me happily at home, and he came back with a bag o' goodies.

"Look what I got for only $3.99," he said, holding up something unrecognizable.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It's a car steering wheel puller."

"What would you want one of those for?" I shot back.

"Well, I might need something like this, you know, in the future," he said.

"What are these little blue rubber bands for?" I asked.

"They're not rubber bands," he informed me. "They're an assortment of teflon o'rings I found for only $2.99.

"Yeah, but the package says they're tephlon. That's not how you spell teflon."

"That's cooking-pot teflon," he said. "This is tephlon and it's even better than that stuff." Was it my imagination, or was he starting to look a little sheepish?

"I did get you a little something for your craft work," he said. That's when he pulled out the big hemostat.

"Thank you!" I said. "Those will be very useful, especially for reptiles. And maybe even for picking stuff up off the floor as we get older. In fact, next time you go check to see if they have any 36-inchers."

Is the coffee ready?

2011-10-21T14:51:00.001-04:00

I decided to make another morning lady. I found some beads at the dollar store that were just the right size for hair rollers. This will save Mr. Gadget from having to cut a small dowel into short pieces and then drilling through the middles. I just glued the end of the hairs to the roller, rolled it up and glued it right to her head....similar to what they do at the hair salon, although I haven't had that done in a long time and they may have changed things since then....

I've been busy in the Treehouse preparing for upcoming craft shows. The old hotel show over Columbus Day weekend turned out to be profitable. I sold six dolls and one painted cat, plus the half-dozen felted flowers I took along this year. I was happy to see that the flowers were well-received--especially since I have many more I'm hoping to sell. It was a nice show, and the organizer always does a great job arranging and displaying the arts and crafts around the hotel. By the way, here's an article that came out in one of the local papers a couple of weeks ago. It tells the story of the renovation efforts.

A few people have asked me about chef Vinny and when I will find out if he's made the cut for publication in Art Doll Quarterly. It's my understanding that no notification will be given. I'll just have to wait and check the magazine when it comes out next February. This is probably very wise of the editors and will save them from having to answer difficult questions, like What do you mean my Vinny wasn't good enough?

Meanwhile, the life-story writing group has lost some steam. Some of the members have dropped away. Maybe they just thought they wanted to write, but then it felt too much like school. On a positive note, one of the members, an elderly lady who came to this country long ago from Armenia, has entertained us with wonderful stories of her past, and I plan to record and transcribe some of them for her. My original idea was to record oral histories, so maybe this will be what I end up doing after all.

So the latest issue of Art Doll Quarterly arrived in my mailbox yesterday, and I read that the next art doll challenge is to create a shelf-sitter doll. Considering the amount of work I put into Vinny for the bottle-doll challenge, I may just let this one pass me by. Then again, it is intriguing. I guess I'll just wait and see if a bright idea bubbles up. I think I'm hearing a little fizzy sound already.

Tastes a little like chicken

2011-10-15T15:36:00.005-04:00

Reading recipes is quite a challenge for Clem,

who's forgotten to ask his barber for an eyebrow trim.

Should he put in some thyme?

And what about wine?

Dinner's at 5 and he's serving cork au vin.

Minding my p's and q's

2011-10-11T10:17:00.008-04:00

I used to think chefs should always wear chef shoes....you know, those sensible shoes that a person could stand in all day and spill tomato sauce on without worry. But they're pretty boring. I'd much rather see a chef in more elegant footwear.....you know, something much more in line with haute cuisine.

You may be wondering about the big Costco olive oil bottle. It's empty and I couldn't bring myself to toss it in the recycle bin. I'm pondering doll possibilities. But not now. Later, after the hustle and bustle of fall craft shows is behind me.

On Sunday Mr. Gadget and I took a ride up to the old hotel to see how I was doing. I drove the new car, so there was no need to engage the HWG (happy wife gadget). I'm never in a hurry...and am continually mystified by why Mr. G's blood pressure is low and mine requires medication.

Anyway, a few of my dolls had sold, and several of the felted flowers too. While I was browsing I met Betsy--who was also browsing, and admiring my crafty creations. Come to find out, Betsy is one of my blog readers. Hi Betsy! She and I had a nice chat and I made sure she understood just how hard I work here in the Treehouse cranking out one-of-a-kind dolls and other crafty goodness. Is it time for my coffee break yet?

So now I'm hard at work on a few dolls for the Christmas show, and very soon I'll be getting my clay out to make a few ornaments. Here's my first attempt:

He needs considerable tweaking, but he'll be fine to hang on our tree--the final resting place for my vast collection of first attempts. For some reason this reminds me of the projects I made in my early school years and how graciously my mother wore her silly piece of Mother's Day jewelry, or displayed a misshapen clay ashtray prominently in our living room. Maybe I'll just call my collection of first attempts my summer camp projects.

Doo-dad dealybobs

2011-10-08T11:59:00.001-04:00

Today I had a sobering thought. I know there'll come a time when I won't have to look any further than my mirror for a model of a witchy face with wrinkles, bags, age spots and annoying chin hairs.

I'd better call my dentist. I'm overdue. Maybe I can at least save my teeth.

Yesterday Mr. Gadget and I went to the office supply store where I got these neat little dealybobs.

They're about 2 inches square and should hold pretty near all of my doo-dads.

The reason for the trip was to exchange a small tape recorder Mr. Gadget bought me to use in my elder life-story writing workshop. There's an 80-year-old woman in the group who has some wonderful stories to tell, but she's just not up for writing them down, so I've offered to record and transcribe.

Mr. Gadget, who always lives up to his name, got me a fancy digital recorder with all sorts of bells and whistles, and an instruction book that was 145 pages long. I must say I was quite taken by the small size of the device, but when I heard about the how-to book I said, "Stop right there!"

So we took it back and exchanged it for a five-button version: play, stop, fast forward, rewind and pause. And it takes regular ol' cassette tapes. I'll use the 60-minute ones so at the end of an hour I can say, "Time's up....gotta go!" Some older folks have a way of losing track of time. I'd have a hard time sitting there all night like I used to do with my grandpa when he'd get going about his trip to Mexico.

Today we took a drive up to Knitters' Heaven. Mr. Gadget got a new car and wanted to take it for a spin. Yeah, I know. He gets a new car whether he needs one or not. He's a car guy. Just like me with yarn. I'm a yarn gal and I'll buy yarn whether I need it or not---which I did and I don't. But I discovered a feature on Mr. G's new car that I will call The Happy Wife Gadget. It's part of the cruise control and it keeps the car at a safe distance behind the car ahead. It's amazing. No more anxiety medication for me now that we have the HWG!

What ya cookin'?

2011-10-04T09:44:00.003-04:00

Betty Sue loves to cook

but she hardly ever uses a recipe book.

She adds a pinch of salt

and a teaspoon of gestalt,

and calls everything gourmet gobbledegook.

Bling

2011-10-02T13:36:00.003-04:00

There was a glamorous witch named Lenore

whose boots made her feet awfully sore.

They housed meddlesome thorns

and caused bunions and corns.

All was remedied with a trip to the pet store.

Millinery

2011-09-27T16:12:00.009-04:00

I've been working on a whole waggle of witches (waggle is to witches as gaggle is to geese...I'm pretty sure....) And because I don't want to be accused of overwitching I'm just going to show you a bunch of hats. Make that a haggle of hats. It's been a real scream decorating this year's crop. Old stale designs are easy to fall back on. It's much more difficult to come up with something new and hauntingly haute couture.

The purple flower looks a little like raffia, but it's really plastic--so durable for a witch who is reckless with her broom. I bought it in the big city when I was visiting Big City Girl.

This is one of my own designs. The stamens were store-bought at the same big-city place.

This is one of my own too, made from tulle I purchased at Joann's. Same stamens. The hatband and leaves (with embroidery) were made from wool felt.

Here's another plastic flower with the same orange tulle. I embroidered a spider on the collar. Those eyes might be just a little too beady. I was going for the maximum-scare effect.

Here's another flower design by moi. This witch is dressed-to-the-nines....well, except for the bunny slippers. I felt sorry for her. Those big-ol' witch boots gave her bunions. I love the button on her flower. Sometimes when I shop in the city with BCG I buy doo-dads with no plan in mind for how I'll use them. But it's great fun shopping for them, and they don't cost much. Plus, I don't need one of those big-city shopping bags to carry doo-dads home on the train.

I'll post pictures of the entire waggle soon. I'm thinking of having a bon voyage party for them before they ship out to the old hotel. Then I'll be ready to start my new Treehouse activity--oversantaclausing.

The alumni

2011-09-22T10:15:00.007-04:00

One of the perks of being a member of the local senior center--and I really feel a little irreverent saying this--is that when another member "graduates" and moves on to join The Alumni Association, their family members, facing that monumental task of dispersing of the departed's worldly goods, often donate yarn and crafty things to the center.

And if these graduates had a real honest-to-goodness stash like I do, and their loved ones had to dig down through several archeological ages to unearth every last relic--all the better. These are the real treasures. If I were to graduate any time soon, poor Mr. Gadget would have to rent a semi.

Things are going well with the new writing group. Most of the people who came to the first meeting returned for the second. I think that's a good sign. It tickles me how people always tend to return to the same seats at these sorts of things. Maybe it's a carry-over from school days when we were all assigned seats so the teacher could keep chatty friends from sitting together, or to make attendance-taking easier. My mother-in-law, who attended church daily, always sat in the same spot in the same pew--and if someone else, God forbid, was sitting in her seat when she arrived, they were in for the glare. I wonder if she was just a creature of habit, or if she knew God was taking attendance. If the latter is true, I'm in big trouble.

So, I've decided to share my contest doll. The deadline is over, and I'm sure all of the submissions are now being reviewed. As I understand it, none of the dollmakers will be notified one way or the other if their creation has made the cut. It will either appear or not appear in the Spring 2012 issue of Art Doll Quarterly. I'm not sitting on pins and needles. It was a fun project and I enjoyed the process, and it was my first attempt at making a doll using a wire armature. I'll definitely do another.

Here's a close-up of his face. Vinny likes to cook, but he also likes the wine and occasionally takes a nip.

Here's Vinny in the early stages.

I hope he hasn't totally corrupted his shelf-mates at the magazine office. When I left him, his bottle was almost empty--but who knows? There may be an enabler in the crowd.

What's that buzzing sound?

2011-09-16T13:00:00.001-04:00

I've been busy as a bee, buzzing and flitting and gadding about. I did get the kitchen floor vacuumed and mopped this morning. I had no choice really. It was crunching when I walked on it. I think little bits of everything fell off of my everything bagel. Maybe I should just buy plain ones....especially now that I'm so bee-busy and housework is such an inconvenient interruption.

I just finished painting a Halloween cat. He has 4 legs so he can stand on a shelf but only if he leans against something. I'll put a hook on his back so he'll also be able to hang around.

Here's the latest witch. The gluing-on of the hat and hair worked well. Not having to sew them on really saves time, and my arthritic finger is much happier. I'm not pleased with the cheeks but I'm probably stuck with these. I tried using one of those dabbers the stencilers use, but I think Q-tips and blush are still the best choice.

So the other day Mr. Gadget and I were sitting down having our lunch. We each make our own lunch--which is so important for saving a marriage during the retirement years. I usually have a sandwich, and he always has cereal--a mixture of two kinds--with fruit. Sometimes I have a salad or some leftovers, but Mr. G. always has cereal no matter what.

"I have something important to tell you," he said as we were about to sit down.

"Uh-oh," I said while bracing myself against the counter. "Is it good news or bad news?"

"It's neither really," he said. "But you might find it surprising."

"Ok, lay it on me."

"I'm thinking of changing one of my cereals," he told me with just a hint of sheepishness.

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Yep," he said. "I think I'll start having Cheerios with my Raisin Bran instead of Basic 4."

"You know, this is really going to shake up my grocery-shopping routine," I told him.

Living with Mr. Gadget reminds me of that line from Forest Gump. Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get, but it's pretty much always milk chocolate with a creamy nougat center.

Dizzy Knitter

2011-09-09T14:15:00.002-04:00

This is my current knitting project--a scarf made with sock yarn. I was hoping to get a picture of it nicely draped to give you a sense of its true allure, but it can't be done. So you'll have to wait till I finish up that ball of yarn to see it in all its glory. Someone from my knitting group in California shared the pattern. It's super easy, but she didn't warn me to have Dramamine on hand. I'm making it with sock yarn I had in my stash. I'm pretty much over socks....or maybe I should say oversocked.

Yesterday was the first meeting of our new condo craft group. There were 7 of us--2 knitters, 1 crocheter, 1 photo-organizer, and 3 who just came to socialize. I'm not sure if it will take off, but we'll give it a few weeks.

During our conversation someone asked if anyone knew about the senior center in town and what kind of activities they offered. Various things were mentioned--cards, exercise, ceramics, knitting, etc. Then someone said, "Oh, I saw that they are going to have a life-story writing group starting up soon."

"Yes, and I'm going to lead it," I chimed in.

Well, they were all taken aback, as was I. Funny, eh? While I was at the senior knitting group on Wed. I checked to see if anyone had signed up, and so far I have 3 suckers...heh...heh....I'm sure we'll all have a lovely time, and I suppose I should think about putting a plan together for it.

This weekend will be a busy one. Big City Girl and Tech Guy are coming tonight. Tomorrow Mr. Gadget's older brother is coming to visit. He travels all the time, so I'm hoping he won't want to do any sightseeing. There's not much to see anyway. Well, I guess there's the old barn down the road and a couple of antique shops. I do happen to know there are football games on TV this weekend, and both men know how to operate the big-screen TV. I'll just plan to hang out in the Treehouse, but I'll leave my instructions for them just in case they forget something.....or drink too much wine.

The instructions

2011-09-08T16:17:00.004-04:00

Here's the second of my two clay witches--now awaiting hair and other accountrements. She is also neckless, but alas! She has a chin. You'll have to look hard. She also has a mole on her nose. All witches should have moles. It says so in the instruction book.

And speaking of instruction books, the other day Mr. Gadget asked me if I'd like some instruction on how to operate the big-screen TV.

"After all," he said, "we've had it now for a couple of years and you might want to watch something when I'm not around."

So I went to get my blank notebook--the one I set aside and labeled How to Operate Things in the House for Dummies. Well, it wasn't totally blank. The first page has instructions on how to get into Mr. G's computer and retrieve all the important info in the event that he exercises himself to death.

"The first thing you should do is get some small stickers that you can write on," he said. "Label them #1, #2, and #3." Then he told me to stick them on the small remote, the silver remote, and the black remote respectively.

"Turn the TV on with #1, then the cable box with #2," he said. "But use the power button on the left, not the one on the right."

"You've got to be kidding!" I shouted. "Don't you think this is complicated?"

"No," he said.

"Tell you what," I told him in my most assertive voice. "If I kick the bucket before you do, I'll make things real simple for you. You don't even have to take notes. Just get a bulldozer."

Gout no doubt

2011-09-05T11:37:00.007-04:00

I'm a gal who can walk and chew gum at the same time, but just barely. What I can't do is drive while telling you an interesting story. Neither can I add ingredients to a pot of stew and converse with Mr. Gadget simultaneously. And now I've discovered I'm not very good at writing blog posts while sewing and gluing and trying to remember to do the laundry. I always have good intentions. September promises to be a busy month, what with crafting in the Treehouse, the condo craft group starting up, and the senior center writing group that I've volunteered to lead. Maybe Mr. Gadget can do the laundry. I'd bribe him with another apple pie, but there's no time to bake.

Here's one of my witches-in-progress.

I'm trying something new with this one. Usually I sew the hair to the head (ouch!) and then sew the hat to the hairy head (double ouch!) This time I glued the hat to the bald head, and I'll glue the hair on just below the hat. I don't know how well it will work, but gluing is much easier than sewing with an arthritic finger....you know, that little finger problem I'm going to keep secret from my doctor when I go in for my physical later this month. You know, that doctor who finds reasons to send me to a variety pack of specialists all over town, thereby reducing my available crafting and blogging time even more.

I was going to put bunny slippers on this witch, but I've decided it wouldn't be nearly as whimsical as if I put them on one dressed to the nines in black evening wear. I'll be working on her next....if my finger holds out and my doctor doesn't call.

Hurricrafting

2011-09-01T11:53:00.004-04:00

I'm happy to report no problems here from the hurricane. We were feeling rather smug all day Sunday, watching TV and playing with our appliances while many around us were losing power. But then, around 8:30, our comfy little world got dark and quiet. Mr.Gadget, who always plans ahead, had our gigantic supply of flashlights in good working order and strategically located around the condo. The power company's assessment, in the form of a generic recording, was that we could expect restoration on or before Saturday.

We both tried our best to settle in for the long haul, but by early Monday morning I was feeling the pangs of caffeine withdrawal. Mr. G, bless his heart, rescued me by firing up the grill and heating water for some tea and Taster's Choice. Around 10 a.m., as we sat in our recliners sipping hot beverages and wondering just how much Scrabble we could play, the power came back on.

The frightful weather was just the thing for working on frightful things....like a witch without a neck. Maybe I could learn how to scrunch down like she's doing to hide my neck. I'll bet the turkey feathers would tickle.

While pondering whether this poor witch could wear anything around her neck of a decorative nature, I started some new ornaments. This is just a trial run....wherein I just slap something together for later tweaking. That's not unlike my blog posts. My creative process is a mystery to me. No matter what I'm creating, the first version is usually one of those slapped-together thingies. Then, later, I go back and carve and delete and add a little here and there, and maybe throw in a pinch of salt. Then it's good to go. But of course, your opinion may differ.

These slapped-together Santas will require lots of tweaking. I may make them bigger. I will use a different shade of pink on their faces. I will give them eyebrows and maybe some nostrils. I will outfit them in red hats with a tiny bell on the tip.......unless I decide it's just easier to let them wear thimbles.

Preparedness

2011-08-27T13:35:00.006-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I were all set to get outta town ahead of the hurricane, but then we decided to hunker down instead. I feel confident we're ready.

The deck chairs are safe and harmless inside the condo.

We've got batteries.

We've got a radio.

We've got yarn.

This should hold us for a week or so, don't you think?

Perusing

2011-08-25T14:15:00.005-04:00

Today, while I've watched news about the approaching hurricane, I've been perusing my stock of doll fixins to see what I might be able to whip up for the old hotel craft show this fall. Whip up as in what can I make with a minimum of effort that will look well thought out, nicely color coordinated, and guaranteed to sell. I probably should have started earlier...

I have several witch hats awaiting accessorizing.

I have a nice stash of witch shoes.
Can't forget these.

I've got some interesting witch fabric. This one calls for a bone necklace.

The perusing is fun. So is making little piles of possibilities. And I definitely enjoy the character building. Soon I'll be throwing the factory switch to get things up and running.

So Tech Guy is coming over this evening to have dinner and do some laundry. I get the feeling he's not taking this hurricane business very seriously, and I have no intention of inviting him over to hang with us. The thought of two people in the house going through serious testosterone-laden electronic withdrawal is more than I want to experience. He can suffer through it in the privacy of his own apartment. But at least he'll have clean clothes.

Buffering

2011-08-24T14:43:00.006-04:00

I'm back in the Treehouse and Mr. Gadget is back in his basement office, and we are luxuriating in our respective spaces--conveniently separated by the main-floor buffer zone. Somehow we always manage to leave the small, single-story two-bedroom Calcondo (sadly bufferless) just one day before I send Mr. G out on an extended hike. We get along famously for the most part, and I know I'm a lucky woman, but after several weeks of togetherness his nudginess begins to wear. The good thing about the Concondo is that when he shouts something up two flights, I just say, "What? I can't hear you. Let's talk at dinner."

The flight back was fine except for one small annoyance. No sooner had we sat ourselves down in seats 17A and B when the pilot announced we would be staying put for a while because of an earthquake on the east coast. Just to be safe, he said, the JFK control tower had been evacuated. An hour later we were in the air, which wasn't too bad all things considered.

So now that I'm back in the Treehouse, I've added my California strawberries to my Connecticut strawberries....
.....and my west-coast dishcloths to my east-coast ones....
....and the hearts are hangin' with the birds.

I may be making more of these in the days to come because we're expecting a hurricane. And no doubt the power will be out for a long time and I'll be forced to forego any kind of housework. I've never met a hurricane, although I was teased by one once. That was in south Texas. That's where they belong. Not here. We're blizzard people.

So if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know why. I'll be here doing handwork by candle light and eating cold soup.....all the while trying to keep Mr. Gadget calm and reassured while he's in the throes of electronic withdrawal.

Scarfing it up

2011-08-20T18:29:00.002-04:00

I finished the scarf I was knitting from the cotton boucle yarn I bought at the sidewalk sale. I was expecting the yarn to stripe, but it tweeded instead. I wanted it long enough to wrap a couple of times around my neck--thereby insuring that my turkey-like features would be well hidden. When all was said and done, it measured 74".

Mr. Gadget and I will be packing up soon for our return to the east. Incredibly, our departure date is one day before I was preparing to turn the whole place over to the ants. It's a little like when the kids were home from school for summer vacation. The day school started was always, miraculously, one day before I planned to put them up for adoption.

I have to say, we've made some progress in our war against the ants. Any kind of food, once opened, goes right into the fridge. And as soon as we're finished with a meal, I hop right up to clean and start the dishwasher. This is so against my nature. But the ants have driven me to it with their surprise attacks, devious tactics, and unwillingness to negotiate.

I'll have a lot on my agenda when I get back to Connecticut. There's the old hotel craft show to prepare for. I'm going to start up a ladies craft group at the condos and a writing group at the senior center. Then there's my physical. And I can't forget the dentist. And I should make an eye appointment because I know my doc will ask.....again.....if I've had them checked. Maybe it makes better sense just to stay here with the ants...

Doll delivery day

2011-08-18T16:48:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Mr. Gadget chauffeured me 'n Vinny down the 405 to the Stampington magazine offices in Laguna Hills. Vinny, who finally told me his name and that I should never refer to him as Vincent, is the contest doll that has been stewing in my craft rooms for the last few months. While Vinny was in residence, it became quite clear that he's fond of vino. Good thing we didn't let him drive.

We arrived at the Stampington headquarters shortly after 10 a.m. and met with Jana, the managing editor of Art Doll Quarterly. She had graciously offered to give us a tour of their offices.
That's Jana on the left and me on the right.
She introduced us to many of the staff members--who were hard at work in their offices that all resembled the Treehouse when I'm in a creative frenzy. There were bits of this and that everywhere, stuff piled up on tables, thingies stuck to the wall, and even danglies on the doorknobs.
We peeked into the prop room. Putting a magazine together is a big production.

Before we left, I put Vinny on a shelf in the doll room. I suddenly felt a lot lighter knowing that someone else would be in charge of him for a while. He looked lonely, but soon he will have bunkmates. It reminded me of leaving a kid at summer camp. Thankfully, I didn't have to stay up till the wee hours labeling his clothes.

Saturday sniffles

2011-08-13T18:00:00.005-04:00

Yep, I've got a cold. I guess I should feel grateful I didn't have it last weekend when we traveled up the Onion Highway for the big dessert, I mean seafood, buffet and the garlic and wine extravaganza. And it should be gone by the time we return to the Concondo in a little over a week. But still. A cold is a big annoyance.

I've been stitching more hearts. It's never too early to think about Valentine's Day. And speaking of that, this morning Mr. Gadget bought me a bouquet of flowers at the farmer's market....and then carried them all the way to the car. I offered to carry them...figuring he might feel a little silly. But he said no, that he was sufficiently secure in his manhood. I'm not sure, but he may have assumed he'd get some nice-guy points on the blog.

I finally finished the contest doll--thanks to Mr. Gadget and his gadgety goodness. His clamps held the hands in place on the glass bottle so I didn't have to stay up all night doing the same.

All appears to be secure now, and I've made arrangements to deliver the doll on Wednesday to the people who will judge. Mr. Gadget deserves some recognition for his engineering expertise. In addition to his clamping skills, he offered advice on how to prevent the entire assemblage from toppling over. I suppose I should make him an apple pie....and I'd better get some ice cream to go with it....considering the floral gift and all.

So now I must go and find some tissues and cough drops. Bah....humbug!

Mystery solved

2011-08-09T17:02:00.004-04:00

I've always wondered where onions come from. Now I know.

The funny thing about following an onion truck is that before you see it you'd swear it was snowing....and not one of those light snows either. It's the heavy stuff. But then you notice the outside thermometer on your car says 92 degrees and there's just no way it could be snow. And for a few minutes you're mystified....until you pass the truck....and then you realize it's onions and you're digging through your purse to find some tissues to dry your tears.

Our weekend in NoCal was fun and very relaxing. We did a lot of eating, which is pretty much standard operating procedure when you've married into an Italian family. Friday night we attended a big whoop-de-doo seafood buffet--overlooking San Francisco bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. We couldn't see the bridge because of the fog, so we enjoyed the view of the entire span of the dessert table instead. On Saturday we partook of a picnic lunch, followed by a grilled steak dinner at the home of Mr. Gadget's youngest brother. He's quite the cook and subscribes to the culinary theory that garlic and wine improve any meal, and the more of each the better.

I hereby proclaim that the contest doll will be finished by the weekend. I'm getting tired of fiddling with it. I'm almost certain I've come up with a solution for the glue problem. Mr. Gadget--who lived up to his name today--purchased some small clamps at Home Depot so I can glue it, clamp it, and find something more interesting to do than sit and hold it together while it dries.

And speaking of interesting things to do, this afternoon I made some guacamole for Mr. Gadget. He's a big fan of guac (that's what I call it when I'm in Cali). I don't actually have a recipe. I just throw stuff in the food processor. Three ripe avocados, about 3/4 of a can of tomatoes with jalapenos (Del Monte I think), chopped garlic, lemon juice, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro, salt and plenty of pepper. I usually add some hot sauce to kick it up a notch or two.

Do you know what the best thing is about making Mr. G a big bowl of guac? He usually calls it dinner...

Only in Cali

2011-08-04T22:04:00.006-04:00

So yesterday I was on my way to see my west-coast hairdresser for a west-coast haircut when I stopped for a red light. In my rear-view mirror I noticed the lady in the car behind me brushing her teeth....and I figured she must be doing a dry brush. Unless she had a bottle of water and a bucket in the passenger seat.Tomorrow Mr. Gadget and I are planning to drive to northern California to visit two of his brothers.
I'm sure there will be plenty of festiveness, lots of harking back to the old days, and maybe a little wine.
We'll be sure to brush our teeth before we leave.

Get the Raid!

2011-08-01T13:19:00.004-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I took another walk on Saturday morning along the same wide, tree-lined sidewalk as last week. There were no surprise yarn sales this time but there was a menacing swarm of killer bees.It's my job to come up with new and different walking routes around the neighborhood. Today we took the clock walk--so named because one of the houses along the way has a large clock tower in the front yard. Maybe Cinderella lives there.

There are some beautiful gardens along the clock walk. It's easy to identify the homeowners who love to garden. They really deserve some recognition for their hard work and willingness to live with dirty fingernails and sore knees. I definitely think some prizes are in order.
Here's the latest on the contest doll project. The glue that's supposed to affix almost anything to almost anything else didn't live up to its promises. I was about to deem the project a disaster and throw it in the dumpster, but then I reconsidered and sent it back to the drawing board. With a little finagling and some input from Mr. Gadget with his physics skills, it might survive. Who knew it would come to matters of volume and mass and quantum theory? Another big challenge has been remembering to move it off the dining room table before dinner so it doesn't get splashed with spaghetti sauce. Although I suppose it would provide an interesting design element...

Gastropods

2011-07-28T22:45:00.004-04:00

Here at the Calcondo,

in addition to ants,

we have snails.

When Tech Guy was a little guy--

and before the tech part--

he found them fascinating.

He took some home to Connecticut

to keep as pets.

But they were slightly out of their element,

and they didn't care much for cat food.

Or snow.

So whenever I see a snail crossing a sidewalk

or climbing up a wall,

I take a picture and email it to Tech Guy--

for old time's sake.

Remember my old friend, Sara Dipity?

I ran into her again.

It was just after I photographed the snail.

I had stopped at the craft store for embroidery thread,

and I found a book with a pattern for this:

A stuffed fabric snail.

I'm going to make one--

right after I get my gazillion other projects finished.

The book is Crafting Tilda's Friends

by Tone Finnanger.

I think I'll name him Snail Male.

Will exercise for yarn

2011-07-24T12:35:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Mr. Gadget and I took a walk around the neighborhood as we often do when we're at the Calcondo. There are lots of good places to walk with a minimum of hills....which is my kind of walk. We took a new route this time and set off down a street with wide sidewalks, lots of shade trees, and big expensive condo developments on both sides.

We were just a short ways down the street when something caught my eye and I slowed to a stop.

"What's that up ahead?" I asked Mr. G. "Is that a mirage?"

"We must check this out," I told him in no uncertain terms.

"Would you like me to take your picture by the sign?" he asked. Somehow, Mr. G. has gotten the mistaken impression that I like having my picture taken. I kept my camera safely in my pocket until the next photo op.

We were making progress.

Once inside the small garage that was part of a collection of commercial buildings that clearly seemed out of place among the condos, I discovered a lady surrounded by tables full of yarn, all marked down 50 and 60%.

I bought some festive hand-dyed cotton boucle. I had no choice really. When the yarn gods accost you on the sidewalk during a pleasant Saturday morning walk, there's no alternative.

After we returned home, I made sure Mr. G was comfortably settled on the couch with a beer and a car show on TV, and I returned to the sale for some leisurely shopping, you know, the kind you can only do without a man-in-tow.
This time I had doll embellishments in mind. As I was checking out, the lady told me she'd be there again in a couple of weeks with more and different yarn. I'm sorry I'll have to miss it. We'll be driving north that weekend. I guess it's just as well. Mr. G graciously offers me crafty space in his suitcase, and it's likely he might be considering charging me rent.

AWOL

2011-07-22T14:36:00.006-04:00

I'm a bad blogger. I've been playing hooky. Although I did do a blog post a few days ago....only to have half of it deleted before I could publish. In an attempt to fix the wonky spacing issue, I ventured into the land of HTML. I should never have crossed its borders. I don't even have a passport to go there.

I've been very busy during my hookiness. My first priority has been to finish the contest doll so I can deliver it in a timely manner to the people who will judge. Here's a little more info about the contest. It's not really a contest. Art Doll Quarterly magazine has issued a challenge to its readers to create a doll using a bottle, and all entries deemed worthy will be published in the Spring 2012 issue.

I brought my doll along with me to California because the PWWJ are located not too far from the Calcondo and saving the one-way mailing fee seemed like a good idea. I emailed the folks at the magazine to see if they were agreeable to my hand-delivering the doll and they responded that yes, that would certainly be fine, and if schedules permitted someone would give me a tour of their offices. This sounded like a fine offer because these are the people who produce all of the Somerset magazines and I can only imagine the amazing craftiness that is housed there.

My bottle-doll creation is more of an assembly than just a doll. It has some parts that need to be affixed with glue--the proper kind of glue for non-failing stickability. I've selected tomorrow as gluing day and I've instructed Mr. Gadget to have Margueritas at-the-ready in case there's a disaster.

Here is one of the assembly components.

It's a carrot. I don't know if you've ever tried to paint a carrot, but it's not easy. It must be done in stages because there's no way to hang it up to dry.

And while I wait for the paint to dry I've been cutting out felt hearts. I still had red felt left over from the ladybug project and the recent strawberry harvest. I'm probably going a little overboard on all the crafty projects lately, but I gotta say......I've hardly noticed the ants.

The birthday edition

2011-07-14T14:39:00.005-04:00

It's party time here at the Calcondo. Just Mr. Gadget, the ants and me celebrating my birthday. The day's festivities got off to a rousing start with a breakfast burrito at Denny's. Later, we'll go to our favorite sushi restaurant where between 5 and 6 p.m. they have half-price rolls. I'm a cheap date.

Actually, I won't officially be a year older till later this evening. I was hopeful that maybe the clock would go backwards just this once and I would no longer be a senior citizen, but that's not happening and I'm plodding one year further into elderhood.

So have you heard about Carmageddon? Most certainly if you live on the west coast--especially around the L.A. area. Those highway people are closing the 405 freeway (between west L.A. and the San Fernando valley) for the weekend for bridge work. This is one of the most-traveled freeways in the country, so it's bound to be a real cartastrophe. JetBlue will be helping out with $4 flights ($5 for extra leg room) from Long Beach to Burbank--flight time 20 minutes. All seats have now sold out. Mr. Gadget and I plan to stay put and enjoy the action on TV from the comfort of our sofa.

I'm still working on my contest doll, although mostly I've been brainstorming on how to finish it. I decided to change a couple of things--to add more whimsy. In the meantime I've been doing some crochet.

This is a miniature version of the pattern I used for the felted flowers. I couldn't find a good green thread for the leaves, so I crocheted them out of off-white and painted them. I added a few beads and sewed them to a small barrette backing. I might also use them for doll embellishments. Grandma would be proud to see how well I navigate with my tiny metal crochet hook.

So now I'm thinking I should do a little preparing for Carmageddon. I'll pack in some bottled water, a few blankets and a kerosene lamp....just in case. And a few Twinkies.

Garden magic

2011-07-10T16:55:00.005-04:00

Was I ever surprised when I went outside this morning and discovered strawberries growing on my fig tree. Maybe with some luck, or a little green-thumb magic, I'll be able to get my sad little lemon tree to produce avocados. Or better yet, twenty-dollar bills.

There's not much new here at the Calcondo. Mr. Gadget and I went for a long walk on the beach yesterday morning. That's one of those favorite activities of dating couples.......long, romantic walks on the beach. Mr. G and I remember those days. Yesterday, when we got back to the car I was sweaty and had a strained big toe. So much for romance.

I've been having trouble getting my blogging mojo going. Maybe it's the feng shui. Maybe it's the misalignment of my planets. Or maybe it's because I'm a right-handed person trying to function on the left coast. Whatever the matter is, I'm sure it will all be resolved soon. Maybe I'll try some stewed prunes.

Cali-craftiness

2011-07-06T12:29:00.002-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I arrived at the Calcondo on Sunday and have been settling in. He's been checking out the electronic gadgets to make sure they're all up and running, and I've been recuperating from jet lag. It's a tough job.

Soon after arriving we took a walk around the complex to stretch our legs and see what's new, and I found this bit of craftiness parked at the curb. So clever, don't you think? My grandma could have crocheted this in a jiffy with her eyes closed. Not me. I'd need a pattern and plenty of tutoring.

Another thing we like to do is catch up on the condo news. This is done by collecting 4 months worth of weekly newsletters from the floor in front of the front-door mail slot and putting them in date order. We hate to get ahead of ourselves. We're always amused by the antics of the folks who runs our homeowners association.

These folks are much like a pot of homemade soup. You throw all of the ingredients in the pot, heat it and stir it for a while, and then put it in the fridge for a cooling off period after which you use your skimming tool to remove most of the top layer--the one that causes clogged arteries and high blood pressure. I find this recipe very unappealing. Maybe I'll donate my soup pot to the thrift shop just to be safe.

One newsletter tidbit that did catch my eye was the notice for a newly-formed knit and crochet group. This sounds more like my cup o' tea. Maybe someone there will have the pattern for the crocheted seat cover. I wonder if it could be tweaked to fit my beach chair?

A little story

2011-07-01T20:10:00.010-04:00

Once upon a time there was a family--mama, papa, sonny and daughter--who gathered one pleasant Sunday afternoon on the back deck for a BBQ. It was quite hot that day, so papa used his remote control to extend the awning. It was just one of many remote controls he used to maintain control of the various things in his life.

Even the family tortoise sought out some shade.

Things were going along quite pleasantly when all of a sudden mama had a wild idea for something silly to do. Silliness was often what she resorted to when papa got a little bit out of control with his control issues.

She was thinking of the rock-wall-building crew who worked every day from sun-up till sun-down erecting beautiful stone walls around the condo complex.

She thought it might be fun to bring a little fun and entertainment into their daily grind of cutting and chiseling and hefting those heavy rocks. So she summoned sonny to help her hatch the plan.

"Sonny," she said, pointing to a nearby pile of rocks, "go over there and draw a funny face on one of those big rocks with this black permanent marker."

So sonny, who occasionally minds his mama, set to work.

He drew a face that would surely brighten the day of the rock-wall-building guys.A few days went by and mama noticed that several of the rocks had disappeared from the pile, including the one with the face. She had no idea where it had ended up, and was pretty sure it would never be seen again.

But she was wrong.

And everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

Where's the shortcake?

2011-06-30T15:45:00.003-04:00

It wasn't long ago that
I was addicted to bird-making
and feared I might have to sign myself into
The Betty Bird Clinic.
Now I find myself hopelessly addicted to
making strawberries.
If I don't find some way to stop myself soon
I'll be checking into the Betty Berry Clinic.
I know for a fact that it's located in California.
It's out there in the desert near Palm Springs.
They call that state the land of fruits and nuts you know.
Since I'll be in California soon
I could get there lickety-split.
I could work on my addiction while
Mr. Gadget takes a few golf lessons.
The walls were starting to close in on me this morning.
I had to hurry down to Joann's as soon as they opened
to replenish my stash
of beads and beading needles.
Now I'm running low on red felt.
But I know there's lots of red felt in the Calcondo--
leftovers from ladybug production
and Valentine hearts.
I hope I can hold out till then.
If I can just make a few more strawberries
I'll have a whole bowlful to share
with the Calcondo curmudgeons
at the 4th of July picnic.
It's important to be neighborly.
I hope someone brings ice cream.

Crafty sweetness

2011-06-28T13:29:00.003-04:00

I'll admit, I've been short on blog fodder lately, so I made a strawberry just to have something to blog about. I've been so busy working on the contest doll--the one that must be kept under wraps for now--that I've had little time for anything else. It seemed like a good time for a little break, though, because I was starting to walk that fine line between he's just fine the way he is, and overworking him into ridiculousness. I'm happy with him now that I was able to find a better skin tone. Here's a little peek:

Yep. Just a little glimpse for now. If he wins any accolades, you will be the first to know--after Mr. Gadget. In the meantime, I'll be thinking up some other whimsical stuff to involve myself with just to keep you entertained.

So back to the strawberry. It's made with felt and beads. The pattern is here on the very talented Abby's blog. I think a dozen or so of these would look nice in a large glass bowl...with a big dollop of whipped cream. I put a hanging string on it so it qualifies as an ornament. You could even hang one from your rearview mirror with some sweet-smelling goodness inside---so much more pleasant than those little pine-tree thingies. People will no doubt leave little notes on your windshield asking where you got yours. Just tell them it was made by a crazy lady who was suffering from blog-fodderlessness.

So Mr. Gadget and I are starting to gear up for our summer trip out west. We've been doing this long enough now that we have it down to an almost-exact science. The suitcases come out a few days ahead of our departure. Mr. Gadget puts a couple of books and an extra pair of shoes in his suitcase.....since he already has a west-coast supply of clothes and toiletries. Since I never know what size I'll be from trip to trip, I must pack clothes. And then I use the vast amount of excess space in Mr. G's suitcase for my craft supplies and whatever else I think I might need. He never complains. What's my secret for this matrimonial harmony, you ask? The man loves apple pie. When he starts getting cranky, I bake. I wonder if he'd like strawberry pie for a change? I should have a good crop soon...

Bawdy beautiful

2011-06-22T09:06:00.005-04:00

Here's The Bawdy One in her nearly-done preposterousness. I've been working on her while I sit here at a disappointing road block that's impeding my progress on the contest doll. More on that later.

She's been a hoot to work on, not to mention a nice diversion from the road trip I was not sure I was up for in the first place. The original plan for Miss Bawdy was to give her a witch hat and an unusual witch costume, but that plan morphed into a fluffy little woman with some joie de vivre. She needs some finishing touches, and then she will reappear with a suitable, and maybe even lustful, limerick.

Meanwhile, as the contest doll sits in the corner, I'm considering alternate routes. The problem stems from my inappropriate use of paint. I thought the manufacturer of the craft paint was true to his word when he labeled the bottle Flesh. Not so. It's flesh alright, but more the skin tone one might expect from a malfunctioning tanning salon. So I added white to the flesh and painted him again. Not much better. Then I got smart and added flesh to the white, and now he looks like he's ready for a ride to the morgue. I will be contemplating this dilemma today, and I'm sure the frustrating barricades will be removed soon.

In other news, I'm excited about two new activities I'll be spearheading in the fall. So unlike me. I'm usually one to go places, sit in the back, and keep my mouth shut. I'm not sure what's come over me. One of these activities is actually a joint effort that I'm planning with another condo resident. She and I will be starting up a weekly craft group. The other is a writing group I've volunteered to lead at the local senior center. I believe all of us elders have wonderful stories to tell, and they should be documented for future family members. Early response has been positive for both.

Looks like the traffic is starting to move, so I'd best get back on the road. I'll check in at the next rest stop. I hope there's coffee.

Birds of a feather

2011-06-16T12:52:00.005-04:00

You probably don't know this but I keep a flock of sheep here in the Treehouse. They're great for keeping the weeds under control. I only wish they'd graze on fabric scraps.

Well, maybe they aren't actual sheep. They're sheepskins. And maybe they can't be considered a flock. Maybe just a pair. There's a story about these sheepskins.

I purchased them many years ago--it was the early 70's as I recall--on a trip to New Zealand. In the early days of my travels I was not averse to buying big souvenirs and carting them across the world. That was back in the day when one could roll up two bulky sheepskins and check them through with one's luggage at no extra cost. Imagine.

I knew my apartment would look really cool with these sheepskins on the floor. It was so very important to look cool in those days. They would complement my macrame wallhangings and the striped madras bedspread that covered the twin bed in my living room that served as a couch....not to mention, my shag haircut.

So now I'm a little sick of them actually. They've lost their coolness. But I hate to get rid of them. They feel like old friends. So I think I might just put them in a large plastic tote and label it doll hair. Maybe if I get rid of them little-by-little it will be less traumatic.

Here, though, is an authentic flock.

I got out a small Christmas tree to see how they'd look and I'm quite pleased. Very colorful. I've made a little more than two dozen so far. At some point I thought I might be addicted to making birds, and I often wondered just how far the compulsion would take me. Then one day I realized I hadn't birded in almost a week. Boy, was I relieved. I had begun to think I might have to check myself in to the Betty Bird Clinic...

Handy

2011-06-12T14:18:00.007-04:00

I don't enjoy making doll hands. They're kinda fiddly.

They look like big fat mittens after I've sewn and turned them right side out. But they really come alive once I've done the hand-stitching between the fingers. If I'm in a hand-making mood, I make as many as I can so I don't have to do them too often. For the witches I give them a watered-down coat of celery green paint--or as I call it, ghastly green. Sometimes I'll embroider a spider on a witch hand. That usually gets a fun comment or two from shoppers at a craft fair. No so much on a nun...
Clay hands aren't quite as challenging. Once I've got the mitten shape, I take the slicing tool and pretend it's a loaf of bread. I cut 4 nice slices--enough for 2 sandwiches. This clay hand is going to be glued to something, so I didn't slice it all the way through. I need a nice flat surface so the glue will adhere. The most difficult part of making clay hands is knowing where to place the thumb. Once that's mastered it's a piece of cake.

My hands, on the other hand, don't look very good.

It's probably because I spend so much time in the Treehouse glueing and painting and working with clay....and occasionally trying to stick a needle through my finger when I mistake it for a doll part. Or maybe it's just from all the pretend cooking and cleaning I do...

Hail as big as hamburgers

2011-06-10T12:38:00.005-04:00

We had quite a storm here in Macaroniville yesterday afternoon. At one point I considered going down to the cellar, especially when that hamburger hail started pelting the windows, but then I remembered we don't have a cellar. We have a basement, and I don't think they're the same thing. Basements are for storing all the stuff your kids don't want but might want someday, and cellars are for storing wine. If we were buying this condo again, there's little doubt which one of the two I'd vote for.

So I got my shovel fixed, and while I'm waiting for the clay to dry I decided to dig a little deeper in my closet.

I found these placemats I embroidered long ago. I only did 3, but I have fabric for a 4th.

Apparently I ran out of steam before I finished the project, and I really don't have much steam for it now. I'll put one away and just use 2 for Mr. Gadget and me. It's about time to retire the ugly red plastic woven ones I bought at the dollar store.

Maybe I'll use them for dinner tonight. We'll be eating leftover Chinese. That's because last night I pretended we lost power. I told Mr. Gadget that I was only going to do pretend-cooking, and it wasn't long before he very graciously offered to go for Chinese take-out.

Possibilities

2011-06-09T09:32:00.005-04:00

Mr. Gadget is always supportive of my clay work. Sometimes he'll offer me an empty bottle, and on occasion an empty medicine bottle, if he sees potential for a whimsical character. Whatever springs forth will definitely be one with broad shoulders, but it's highly doubtful he or she will be able to pass a breathalyzer test.

There's more clay work happening in the Treehouse today. It's mostly some fine-tuning on the face of the armature guy. Facial features are challenging for me. I've pretty well figured out where everything goes on a face. I'm hopeful the rest will come with practice.

I also printed up some bands for the knitted dishcloths.

I'm fairly happy with the result, but I think I will change the paper color to an off-white or a who-knows?

Today I found these bunny pins in the depths of my closet. I'd forgotten all about them.

There may be even more treasures in my closet, but further searches will have to wait. I was only able to dig down as far as the Mesozoic Era before my shovel broke...

Now trending in the Treehouse

2011-06-07T11:05:00.007-04:00

Today it's all about clay. I've shoved the sewing machine out of the way and spread old newspapers on my work table. It's messy and sometimes frustrating--like when I forget to wash my tools and then find the one I need covered with dried clay.

The mummified armature now has a head, although a bit crude, I'll admit. It's amazing what a little sandpaper, paint and hair will do--not to mention properly-fitting clothes. I'm not so confident about that last part. This is going to require me to be a costume designer. And I'm still falling short in the forehead department, probably because I'm still falling short in the fore-thought department. I may have to add more clay up on top. But part of the beauty of paper clay is that wet clay can be applied to dry clay. It's oh-so-forgiving, and I like that in a craft medium.

And since the clay was out and at my messy, sticky fingertips, I thought I'd do a little work on the bawdy one.
She, too, is rather rustic at this point, but I'm counting on the magic of sandpaper, paint and costuming. I've given her a bikini top made from two clay triangles and I'm considering a tu-tu. She's an elder gal who loves to let it all--well, almost all--hang out.

But first and foremost, she likes to be comfortable. Nothing beats an old pair of bunny slippers.

Mummified

2011-06-03T13:14:00.005-04:00

The mummification process is almost complete.
This is the doll I'm making for the contest I wrote about earlier. It will be a cloth and clay doll, with the head, hands and feet constructed of clay, and the outfit made from cloth.
Here's his backside. It's not very pretty I know, but he'll be fully dressed and all evidence of mummification will be hidden.

I'm quite pleased with his torso shaping. That just happened by accident. I have no idea what I'm doing. Remember, I'm just out for a pleasant Sunday drive. Soon I will be sculpting the head and face, so there could very well be a four-car pile-up just ahead.

Now back to the mouse-and-cookie story I told a few days ago. There's more.

The young woman had the MRI--which, by the way, she found not to be unpleasant except for that little needle stick or two---and soon afterwards she went back to her ear doc for a follow-up visit.

"No problem with your ear," said the doc reassuringly, "but we did find another little problem. This sometimes happens when a person has a test like this," he added. "But it's absolutely nothing to worry about."

So the young woman, who was now feeling very much like an old woman--especially after the doc's final comment that it might be a good idea if she came in for a hearing aid consultation--left the office deep in thought. Maybe, just maybe, some of these things were just normal signs of aging and not things needing special medical attention. And she vowed to not only eat more cookies, but to make sure she always has a goodly supply of chocolate in the house...

You're building a what?

2011-06-01T13:18:00.006-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier post my plan to make a doll for a contest. There's no actual prize being offered other than having pictures of the dolls-deemed-worthy published in a magazine. Most of the dolls that have previously appeared in this magazine have been wonderful works of art, so I'm a little bit embarrassed to even admit that I could possibly rub shoulders with real dollmakers.

I've decided to treat this whole project like a Sunday joy ride. I'll head out and if I hit road construction on the four-lane highway, or it funnels down to a two-lane dirt road with major ruts, I'll turn back and be happy I had a little chutzpah.

The project I have in mind requires me to make an armature-skeleton-thingie. I thought about getting out one of my dollmaking books to read up on the proper way to do this, but I've never been one to waste time reading directions, so I skipped this part.

I'm guessing it doesn't need to be anything fancy. Just two arms, two legs, and a neck that will hold a head.Here I've started to wrap him up. He needs a little meat on his bones. His arms are a little long, but I'll keep my wire cutters handy and snip off whatever he doesn't need once I figure out exactly how he'll use them.

He seems pretty flexible. In fact, he looks like someone who might be fun at a party. I wonder if his crotch is too low? He'll eventually be wearing pants, so it's probably not a big deal. He's certainly not very handsome at this point. Think of him dressed in his underwear--underwear you might put on in the morning if you weren't planning to be in an accident later in the day.

For now I'll continue along on my Sunday ride. I didn't count on all this traffic though. Is this a holiday weekend?

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T10:56:00.003-04:00

Uncle Sam has stopped by for a visit today,

because, well of course, it's Memorial Day.

If you're not one for grilling,

or drinking and carousing,

take the family to a Chinese buffet.

Perks

2011-05-28T13:37:00.003-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I have been very pleased with some of the benefits we've received since moving into the 'hood (senior-citizenhood.) There are cheap movies, cheap train tickets, and lots of early-bird dinner specials--just to name a few.

Just the other day we learned of a new one. My computer monitor died, and Mr. Gadget graciously offered to dispose of it. I really love a man who can open jar lids, reach things on high shelves, and who doesn't flinch when faced with having to dispose of dead things.

He called the public works department and was surprised to learn that senior citizens do not have to buy a permit to use the local dump. It's absolutely free. So Mr. G. loaded the expired monitor in his trunk and prepared to leave, although he was a bit apprehensive. This was because of his experience with having to satisfy the aesthetics of the garbage man who refuses to accept garbage that is too smelly, too heavy, too wide, or too loosely tied.
After he got home, I decided to ask him a few questions.

"How was your dump experience?"

"I know people our age generally start having some problems with elimination," he said, "but I had absolutely no problem at all."

"Were the employees dumper-friendly?" I asked.

"Yes." he said. "They directed me right to the e-cycling trailer and told me to lay out my dead monitor in line behind the others."

"Sounds like it was pretty well organized," I said.

"Not only that," he said, "but there was an old guy sitting on a folding chair right next to the trailer. I figure he was there to help the dump babes."

"How would you rate your dump experience?" I asked.

"You mean with 5 being a very satisfying dump experience, and 1 being I'd never do a dump there again?" he asked.

"That seems like a good rating system," I told him.

"I'd give it a 5," he said. "It was an excellent experience and I felt greatly relieved when I left."

Mousetrap

2011-05-25T15:24:00.003-04:00

Have you ever read the children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? It starts out like this: If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. Then he'll ask for a straw. Then a napkin. And on and on and on. My recent dealings with the medical community have reinforced a view I've had for some time--that the medical world is a world of mice and cookies. Here's a story to illustrate.

A young woman--well maybe she was a well-preserved senior--happened to mention to her primary care doc that she had some ringing in her ears.

"How would you describe it?" asked the doc.

"It sounds like it's just in my left ear," she replied. "Though I can't be sure."

"Ringing in both ears is pretty common," said the doc. "But ringing in one ear could be a problem." And she wrote down the name of an ear, nose and throat doc and suggested the woman make an appointment to get it checked.

So an appointment was made for a hearing test.

"You've lost some hearing," said the young whippersnapper of an ear doc.

"Eh?" said the woman. I guess he'd heard that one before because he didn't acknowledge the humor.

"I want you to have another test to see how your brain is receiving sound impulses," he said. "It won't hurt."

So the dutiful young woman scheduled the second test and listened to beeping and buzzing while an auditory technician pounded away on a computer.

"Your right ear is questionable," the ear doc told her at her third visit, "but it's nothing to worry about. I'm going to order an MRI just to rule out a couple of things."

The young woman scheduled the MRI without delay because she knew she shouldn't question the decision of a young upstart who thinks he's old enough to practice medicine even though he can't possibly be old enough to shave.

In the meantime, the young woman sensed the sharp pain of newly-discovered arthritis in her finger. She decided this would be her little secret. She also decided--just in case the end of the world is nigh--to eat more cookies.

Pious poetry

2011-05-23T14:12:00.002-04:00

Here sits Sister Edwina

who's weary from too many novenas.

She slipped into her bunnies

and then read the funnies.

There's sure to be a papal subpoena.

Meow

2011-05-21T10:37:00.007-04:00

Recently I've been thinking about getting a cat. I even broached the subject with Mr. Gadget. He didn't care much for my idea. In fact, he very quickly threw wet cat fur on it.

"Who would take care of a cat when we're traveling?" he asked. "And what about the food bill? Cats can be expensive pets, especially if you insist on buying deli turkey like you did for Sparkle." Sparkle was our family pet. For most of her life she had only 3 legs, and I did my best to make things easy for her, including erecting a handicapped ramp so she could get up on the bed.

I guess he has some good points, but still. I had my heart set on one of those big orange-stripey cats with big feet.

But I suppose if I did get one the construction guys would put me to work digging ditches, and then I wouldn't have time for dollmaking, so maybe it's just as well....

Getting organized

2011-05-17T15:23:00.006-04:00

Mr. Gadget is the organizer in our house, so it really wasn't a big surprise when he offered to help me with some organizing in the Treehouse. Any organizing I've done previously was just pretend organizing--nothing remotely resembling the real thing. This recent effort started after we decided to purchase two new recliners for the loft--to allow for more comfortable TV viewing. This then prompted Mr. G. to rearrange some electronic gadgets, which then required him to steal back a big wooden bookcase he had given me for the Treehouse.

Soon he was strutting around the Treehouse with his tape measure. Actually, it was my tape measure. I think a gal should have a tape measure, and maybe a screwdriver too. The basics. And then he was off to Home Depot for some shelves.

Mr. Gadget is ever-hopeful that eventually he'll be able to train me to be as organized as he is, but the effort required to do this is like pushing a dump truck uphill. I'm resistant. Only because the process of getting organized takes away from precious creating time. He tries to motivate me by buying special containers for my craft supplies. See the nice dark brown ones and the lighter brown ones with the basket weave?

I buy cheap containers at the dollar store. Ones that come pre-labeled so I don't have to waste valuable crafting time sorting things out.

Sometimes I find cheap, colorful ones too. It never hurts to add a touch of color.

See that black area? That's my TV. It's at a perfect level so I merely have to move my eyes up from my handwork and not my whole head. The white drawers are holding my yarn stash. Tech Guy donated this piece. There's no telling what he used it for, so I gave it a good airing-out.

I'm almost totally organized now and I'm feeling surprisingly good about it. Maybe I'll just sit here quietly till the feeling passes.....

A Sunday morning visit to the basement

2011-05-15T10:53:00.006-04:00

This morning I decided I'd better get crackin' on my top-secret doll project because time's a-wastin', so I asked Mr. Gadget if he might have some wire that would be suitable for creating an armature-skeleton-thingie. He was pretty sure he did, and he invited me down to the basement where he keeps his gadgets and all of his boxes of gadget-related stuff.

While I reviewed the wire choices, he noticed a box nearby filled with an eclectic collection.

"Isn't this the stuff you were going to take the Goodwill?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "I forgot about that. Oh, wait. What's that?"

"There's no way that's going to Goodwill," I informed him. "That's going to the Treehouse."

The other crafty one

2011-05-13T14:49:00.003-04:00

So Mr. Gadget has completed his table-refinishing project.

He made a valiant effort to revive it from the brink of death--with lots of sanding and scraping and patching and staining. On Saturday when I returned from my trip to the big city the table was in place and beautifully adorned with Mother's Day roses on a white paper doily.

"How did you find the doily?" I asked incredulously.

"I know my way around a pantry closet," he replied. "I'm not just Gadget Man." Sometimes he forgets that in Blogland he's Mr. Gadget.

There's a lot of action in the Treehouse these days. I'm working on witches and bunny slippers. That would be an interesting combo, wouldn't it? And what about a nun in bunny slippers? Nuns must kick back and put their feet up once in a while, don't ya think?

In addition to all this busyness, I'm contemplating taking part in a doll-making contest in the fall. I'm not divulging any details. For now, it must remain top-secret. But I've come up with an idea for a whimsical cloth and clay doll, and it's going to require me to make an armature--one of those wire thingies that acts kinda like a skeleton. I've never made one before, but how hard can it be? Sometimes you just have to ignore those tapes that play in your head--the ones that play over and over and tell you you're not good enough and can't possibly measure up--and dare to dive off the high board. Here's hoping I don't do a belly flop.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:10:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all youse moms out there. Youse. That's an expression you won't find in the grammar books, but one occasionally heard in this part of the country. It irritates me almost as much as fruit and newspaper stickers.

Today I'm kicking back and relaxing, since it's my day. No dusting, no vacuuming, no laundry, and nothing else of a housework nature. In other words, a day pretty much like any other day....

So yesterday I trained to the city to see Big City Girl. For the first time I was able to take advantage of the discounted senior-citizen fare. And they even allow us elder folks to buy our tickets on the train rather than having to fret over those confounded ticket machines.
Here's a city scene that tickled me. I guess these pigeons were too highbrow to engage in scrounging for food on the sidewalk.

I wish I was better about taking pictures in the city. I wouldn't photograph buildings or landmarks. I'd focus on the weird characters--always in plentiful supply. The sidewalks of New York are a veritable circus. Next time I'll try to do better. It probably won't be long before I go again, now that the train fare is a bargain and I don't have to figure out which buttons to push on the machine. There's nothing like a fun day in the Big Apple. Youse never know what might be lurking around the next corner...

High stakes

2011-05-06T11:48:00.008-04:00

Tech Guy has unwittingly challenged me to a game of fruit poker. You may remember I'm quite fond of various varieties of the game.

Last night when TG came downstairs for his regular late-night snack, he must have noticed the faces I'd drawn on the oranges. He decided to take me on. He raised me a mango.Now I'm thinking I'd better cut up this canteloupe on-the-quick so he doesn't sneak in with another tricky play and get the upper hand.

Moving on to dairy products, TG is a big fan of hard-boiled eggs. This morning I made some and put them in the fridge for whenever he gets a hankerin'.It seemed like a good opportunity to remind him of a few things...

Misfortune

2011-05-05T13:46:00.006-04:00

Last night I was having serious doubts about my future. Mr. Gadget and I ordered Chinese take-out, and when I broke open my fortune cookie there was no fortune inside.

What could this mean, I wonder? Maybe it simply means I have to write my own fortune. I have a few ideas....

I'm starting to crank up the Halloween production here in the Treehouse. Any guesses how many of these oranges have pesky stickers on them? Two. You know how much I enjoy peeling stickers from produce. Maybe I'll recycle them...just for the fun of it. I'll take these stickers back to the produce department and affix them to the avocados. We'll just see how they like them apples...

On Saturday I'll take the train down to NYC to spend some time with Big City Girl. She just returned from a vacation in the Dominican Republic.....where she met some interesting characters.

We'll have lunch, then visit a store I've been wanting to check out for a long time. Maybe they'll have some interesting doll fixins'.

Afterwards, I'll board the train for the trip home--where Mr. Gadget will have drawn me a hot bath, chilled the wine, and prepared a gourmet meal. There's no end of wonderful possibilities when one has to resort to writing one's own fortune..

Fun with mom

2011-04-30T10:18:00.009-04:00

Here's what greeted me this morning when I decided to make myself some poached eggs for breakfast.

Tech Guy, who is staying with us temporarily....though I can't say I've received any free tech support....decided to have a little fun after a night out with friends. He especially enjoys toying with the fridge.

Here is the bird factory--wherein I work for minimum wage.

Notice those cute little bird scissors!

Here is the area immediately surrounding the bird factory.

This is the table between our two recliner chairs in the great room. The lamp on the table effectively makes both Mr. Gadget and I invisible to each other, except for our legs and feet. Add this to our diminished hearing due to the high ceilings, and maybe this isn't such a great room after all. Or maybe we are just getting old prematurely.

Notice, too, the neat little arrangement of remotes on Mr. Gadget's side. It's really amazing we've remained married 30 years.See these stacking basket thingies? Mr. Gadget bought them for me at Costco last week. I'm going to use them to store all of my various factory jobs. Now I just need a hard hat.

From the hanger factory

2011-04-28T10:01:00.004-04:00

I know I promised to hold off on the bird pictures till I had a whole flock. In the meantime, here's a whole flock of mini-sweaters. Yesterday, while I was at the senior knitting group, I sewed the sweaters to the hangers with little tiny stitches so they won't slip off. A few days ago, while watching The People's Court (I wonder just how clueless some people can be?), I went into hanger-production mode. They go pretty fast, once you get the hang of it.....

These little sweaters seem to generate lots of conversation. Non-knitters think it's magic that I can knit something so small. Sometimes I tell them I've had lots of sock-knitting practice and it's not unlike that. And other times I just keep my mouth shut and let them think I have super-human powers.

So the other day I decided to organize a small portion of my kitchen that's been in disarray for the whole two years plus that we've lived here in the Concondo--the cupboard that holds the plastic food containers.

For 3 bucks at Target I got the little green thingie. It holds all the lids. This is shaving at least 2 minutes off my kitchen clean-up time. I wonder just how clueless some people can be?

A tad tardy

2011-04-26T14:49:00.003-04:00

I meant to post this picture on Easter. But then it was the day after. And now it's the day after that. How did that happen?

I've been enjoying the mindless knitting of dishcloths. Today I was at Michael's looking for wire to make mini-hangers for the mini-sweaters, and I thought I would pick up more cotton dishcloth yarn. But the regular price was twice the sale price I paid a few weeks ago, so I'll just shove this project to the back burner.

On Easter morning, as Mr. Gadget and I sat with our coffee and the newspaper, I found myself harking back to an earlier Easter morning at the home of my grandparents. My grandfather, who I called Grandpa Guy because his first name was Guy, was as excited as all get-out when he called me over to look outside the kitchen window. There in the dirt below were two big footprints he was sure had been left by the Easter Bunny. I've never forgotten this all these years later.

Here is a picture of my grandparents with my mother when she was about 18. It was taken in the late 1930's.

My grandmother, whose name was Cleo and who I called Grammy, was a cat person. She always had several cats and I can still see her sitting in the rocking chair--one of those glider ones--with a cat in her lap, belly side up, with a flea comb. She was quite an accomplished seamstress and needleworker, and I have several yards of her beautiful tatting that I still have not found the perfect project for. She loved to feed the birds. She'd wire old tin cans to the back fence to hold bread crumbs and whatever else she thought the birds might like.

My Grampa Guy was, for several years, the postmaster in the small town where they lived just north of San Diego. I used to spend time with him in the post office...which pleased him....until the day I mixed the stamp money with the money order money, and then he wasn't so happy. Sometimes I would sit on his lap in the afternoons while he listened to Drew Pearson on the radio. And once in a while I would ask him to write something so I could admire his beautiful handwriting.

There were two special things I loved to eat at Grammy and Grandpa Guy's house. One was fresh apricots just picked from their apricot tree. The other was cake donuts dipped in coffee. I didn't like coffee, but there was just something about dunking those donuts that appealed.

Grammy died quite a few years before Grandpa which left him feeling rather lost. He would often drive up to our house (about 100 miles north) in his green Chevrolet and spend a few days, or a month. We never knew. I remember very few things about that time, but I do remember this. He would watch TV by standing right in front of the set with his hands behind his back. He would drink milk right out of the carton. And each night he'd leave his false teeth in a jar by his bed. Neither have I forgotten this all these years later.

Entertaining my inner child

2011-04-23T12:24:00.006-04:00

So yesterday I was at the grocery store and, on a whim, I purchased this...plus an extra dozen eggs. We don't celebrate Easter in a big way at our house, but I do have fond childhood memories of dyeing eggs and hiding my basket for the Easter Bunny to find and fill with goodies. Those dyed eggs would always find their way into my basket. My mother assured me that the Bunny always knew to look in the fridge....just like she assured me that Santa always carried a set of master keys so he could get into our house without a chimney.

For the first time ever, I consulted a cookbook to check out the directions for making hard-boiled eggs. I've always winged it, and always ended up with a few cracked ones.

This time....no cracks! But wait. What is that? How did a mango with an annoying sticker sneak in there?

Here they are....colorfully displayed in a little hand-crafted basket. This was so easy to do. I drew a bunny on paper with long arms stretched out at right angles to his body, then drew around it on fabric. Next I sewed all around and turned him right side out. Then I lightly stuffed him and drew the features on. No need to do a whole bunny....just the upper half because the bottom is hidden in the Easter grass. Finally, just glue the bunny paw around the handle.

Long ago, when Tech Guy and Big City Girl were young, I decided to do a little Easter morning magic. I worked long and hard on this project. I was sure they would be amazed. I hid a whole deck of cards around the house....with each card being in a different hiding place. Then after Easter breakfast, I told them to call out a card by number and suit and I would go find it. I proceeded to find a dozen cards or so, until they got so bored they decided to watch cartoons and eat their Easter candy. My mom magic went over like rotten eggs.

The whole enchilada

2011-04-20T14:04:00.001-04:00

The five-course meal came together nicely--especially after I added a few herbs and spices.

I have to admit, I'm a little tired of making these witchy gals. But they do seem to sell, and I've never been averse to puffing up my craft fund.

Yesterday my favorite magazine came in the mail.

Mr. Gadget gave me a subscription for Christmas. It only comes every 3 months, so after it arrives I drop everything, make myself a cup o' coffee, and head for my recliner. I was especially intrigued with this doll--called a burd by its creator.

It bears a striking resemblance to one of mine, don't you think?

Now I'm wondering how The Bawdy One would look in bunny slippers. Remember how attractive they were on Santa?

So Mr. Gadget has recently taken on a crafty project of his own.

He's refinishing a table he made many years ago. For a long time, it was our family coffee table--although rarely did I serve coffee on it. Mostly it was where TG and BCG did their crafty projects, and occasionally their homework. It also served as a handy foot stool. Soon it will have a new life in our great room. Great room. That's just another term for a room with a high ceiling and bad acoustics that lead its occupants to believe they are going deaf much too soon.

The underside of the table is covered with childish scribbles. Even the neighborhood kids got into the act. I made my wishes known to Mr. Gadget that he should not paint over this masterly work of art, thereby insuring it will remain a lasting reminder of just how naughty children can be when their parents think they're in the basement playing nicely.

A la carte

2011-04-16T11:50:00.006-04:00

Appetizer

Salad

Soup Entree

Dessert

Bon Appetit!

Sucking it up

2011-04-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't been blogging much lately. I feel badly about it. It's just that I haven't been feeling especially crafty lately. And now that I've backed off from belittling Mr. Gadget, there's hardly anything to write about...

Today I considered starting a new doll, and then I decided to clean the freezer instead. It's a sad day around here when the idea of ferreting out old, well-past-the-expiration-date food from the fridge is more alluring that sitting down at the sewing machine.

I did, however, discover another use for my handy little Dyson vacuum--my all-time favorite household gadget. It's a whiz at vacuuming up all those little bits and bobs that accumulate in the bottom of the freezer compartments. Where do those come from anyway? Probably the same place as the dust bunnies who move in while we're out of the house for weeks.

We've decided to put off the stair-runner purchase for now. Maybe even forever. I finally came to my senses when I realized the cost of one stair-runner equals the cost of one cruise almost. Good thing I got my priorities straight.

So the other day I got to thinking about the sweaters I started long ago and then banished to the time-out closet. First was the Plymouth. I purchased the yarn on a girls' trip to Plymouth, Mass. a few years go. I can't even remember why I abandoned it.

Then there was The Red Pest. This one gave me no end of headaches. I really should get them both out of the closet and work through the trouble spots. It would be nice to have two new sweaters. I think I'll do that. But first, maybe I should scrub the toilets. Too bad the Dyson can't do those....

A birdless ramble

2011-04-08T14:37:00.013-04:00

Yesterday I cut out, stuffed, and applied gesso to two witch doll heads.

This is in preparation for adding clay.

I re-designed the head pattern to be a little longer.

Who knew foreheads needed fore-thought.

I'm also knitting dishcloths with Sugar and Spice cotton yarn.

They're great for washing up a few dishes.

Or cleaning off the kitchen counter.

Then just toss them in the washing machine.

Michael's had the yarn on sale this week for $1.00/skein.

Better hurry!

Mr. Gadget and I have decided we need a runner on our stairway.

Both Tech Guy and I have taken headers on the slippery wood.

My Thanksgiving knee is almost back to 100%.

I have no interest in an Easter knee.

We're leaning toward that dark red swirly pattern.

It's just to the left of the black one with dots.

These are not inexpensive.

Too bad I can't knit one.

I'm still making birds,

but I will hold off on the photos till I have a whole flock.

I wouldn't want to be accused of over-birding.

I kinda like writing this way.

Short sentences that don't require a lot of thought.

No worries about incorrect spelling,

run-on sentences or

dangling participles.

The perfect format for when I have

pretty much nothing to say....

Sometimes you just have to dig something up

2011-04-05T19:03:00.005-04:00

There's been nothing but birds here lately, and I fear you readers may be getting bored. So here's just one more, and then I'll talk about something much more interesting....

Ten things about me:

I graduated from college when I was 51.

My favorite food is lemon meringue pie.

When I was a teenager I made most of my own clothes.

I've been to all 7 continents.

I've flown in the Goodyear blimp.

I don't like peas or liver.

I'm not good at games of strategy.

I'm a cat person; I don't care much for dogs.

Many years ago I took the est training and I continue to find it valuable.

I've been parasailing in Mazatlan.

Bird brain

2011-04-02T11:29:00.002-04:00

Not much going on in the Treehouse lately other than birds, and I've been able to do most of the work on them from the comfort of my recliner while watching the People's Court. I've learned a lot from that show and if I ever found myself in small claims court I'd be well-prepared. It's all about paperwork. I'd much rather face Judge Marilyn than Judge Judy, that's for sure. Judge Judy would probably make me cry--especially if she called me Madam.

Meanwhile, I'm still working on felted flowers. I was able to do a small marketing study last weekend when Big City Girl was here. She said she was quite fond of them and asked if she could take one home. From this I've concluded they aren't totally lame.

And from the Things That Need Updating file, here's one of those universal symbols you see all over the place:

I think it's high time for an update:

The Monday blues

2011-03-28T11:30:00.009-04:00

Some people have to erect special birdhouses to attract bluebirds. Not me. They just show up at my house as if by magic.

I'm more pleased with the blue bird than the green one, which is currently undergoing a renovation. I took a trip to the library today--you know, our local library that I love so much because it has the musty aroma of a real library--to look for a book on beading and embroidery. I need to add more stitch variety now that I'm planning to crank up my bird production. Feather stitches and lazy daisies only go so far.

So we had a busy weekend here at the Concondo. Both kiddies were here--to celebrate the birthdays of Mr. Gadget and Big City Girl. Tech Guy, who is occasionally full of hot air, did a special balloon drop soon after his sister arrived.

She was duly impressed. We decided maybe we'd save the balloons till Easter since they look very much like Easter eggs. But Mr. Gadget, who has a low threshold for clutter, nixed those plans. So TG and I let out the hot air, save for a few, and threw them away. Then TG got busy with a black marking pen.And drew this tough guy.

And this one that he thinks looks a little like me. I got back at him though. First, I let the air out. Then I ate up all of the leftover birthday cake...

Bird news

2011-03-22T15:40:00.005-04:00

Here's the bird ornament so far.

And here's my assessment of Bird Number One:

The size and shape are workable.

I might make larger birds but only to add variety to the flock.

I will do some embroidery on the next one.

I will use smaller beads.

Bird Number One, like most of my previous crafty experiments,

will make a nice addition to our family Christmas tree.

And just in case this blog post hasn't been entertaining enough,

Here's a little more fun from the bird world.

Never mind

2011-03-21T11:16:00.010-04:00

Forget what I said about Spring springing. The weather gods like to toy with us this time of year. They don't play fair.

This snowy spring weather is not unusual though. I remember well the first few days of spring 27 years ago. I was in the hospital giving birth to Big City Girl. It was a day just like today. That was back when a new mom who had just had a C-section could spend a few extra days in the hospital. TG and Mr. Gadget were at home anxiously awaiting my return, so I decided to enjoy my little spring vacation because I knew it would likely be the last one I'd have for a very long time.

So, as I reported earlier, yesterday was BCG's birthday and she spent her weekend in the big city competing in the Crossword Tournament. Over 600 people signed up. She sent me a text message during the lunch break on Saturday.

"I'm having lots of fun, but I'm bombing," she said. "It's really hard."

"Well, enough about the puzzles," I texted back. "Are there people wearing funny outfits?"

"All over the place," she said. "Even though the puzzles are hard, I think I'd like to do this again next year."

"Wonderful!" I shot back. "I'm already busy sketching up a silly outfit for you to wear."

We'll celebrate next weekend here at the Concondo. It just so happens that Mr. Gadget's birthday is next weekend also, so I'll be spending time this week doing some event planning. There may be balloons and some party games. Possibly even a treasure hunt. And cake, for sure.

But this time I get to lick the beaters.

Spring is springing

2011-03-19T13:39:00.010-04:00

I'm doing some Spring decorating.

It's so much more fun than Spring cleaning.
If I ruled the house,

I'd decorate with a witch for every season.

It's probably just as well I'm not all-powerful.

The neighbors, and all of the various service people

who call on us with regularity,

would think we're weird.

I don't pay attention to the changing of the seasons.

Mr. Gadget keeps me updated.

He's in charge of the thermostat.

If I feel heat coming out of the vents

I put a santa or a snowmen on the table in the entryway.

If I feel cool air,

I get out the bugs and other garden-loving critters.

Today I put the finished felted flowers on the fireplace mantel.

For safe-keeping.

I'm a little weary now of felted flowers.

I'm moving on to bird ornaments.

I'll embellish them with embroidery and beads.
I like small birds,

but they make for a challenging embellishing process.

I might make slightly bigger birds

that would be easier to manipulate.

I haven't forgotten The Bawdy One.
I'll work on her soon,

when I'm ready to start a new gaggle of clay-faced witches.

I'm ready to open a new package of clay.

Fresh clay is the best clay.
Old clay is like old crayons.

Blahh!

I sold all of my clay-faced witches last year.

This has inspired me to make more.

And if they don't sell this time around,

I'll revert to my witches for every season plan.

Because having a reputation for weirdness is far better than

having no reputation at all.

Making amends

2011-03-18T13:39:00.008-04:00

I got to thinking.

Maybe I've been poking too much fun at Mr. Gadget.

But if I stop,

will I have sufficient fodder for the blog?

I might have to spend more time sewing and knitting.

It's possible I'd have to crank my craftiness into high gear.

He is awfully good to me.
I suppose I could make the sacrifice.

I might consider changing my ways.

Well, at least for today anyway.

Maybe I'll do something nice for him.

Yeah, I know. He'll probably never take me to a yarn store again....

Gotta love a leprechaun!

2011-03-17T09:04:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patty's Day to ya!

If only I had something green to wear...

Oh, right. I forgot about the frondescence.

Maybe I could use them to decorate a hat or something.

Or I could stick them to my clothes

like socks with static cling.

Maybe I'll just check my closet

to see if I have a green shirt.

Mr. G and I will be celebrating on Saturday.

There'll be a St. Patty's dinner party here at the condos.

"I don't think I'll like corned beef and cabbage," said Mr. G.

"Have you ever tried it?" I asked.

"No," he not-even-sheepishly admitted.

"But it just doesn't sound like something I'd like."

I thought about his mother and how she wouldn't eat pumpkin pie

for the same reason.

Until she was in her later years.

She tried it; she liked it.

How sad she missed out on such a tasty dessert all those years.

Sometimes the pumpkin doesn't fall far from the vine.

"Let's go anyway," I said.

"We always have a nice time socializing with our neighbors."

"Besides," I added. "There'll be desserts.

You've never met a dessert you didn't like."

Well....except for pumpkin pie...

Frondescence

2011-03-15T13:43:00.005-04:00

Here's a new word for you. I believe the blog should be educational as well as crafty.

Besides, I like to make use of my book of synonyms with it's over 1 million entries. I paid big bucks for it when I went back to college a few years ago and I've certainly gotten my money's worth. There's no excuse for ever being at a loss for words, and that's a good thing when one has a blog.

Frondescence means "the process or period of putting forth leaves, as a tree, plant, or the like." As you can see, I've been doing my part. Spring can't come soon enough. These leaves are the crocheted variety and they'll be attached to the felted-flower pins. In the picture, you can see the result of the felting process.

I looked for a leaf pattern without much success so I ended up winging it. It's easy to create shape with crochet by using a variety of stitches. For the leaves, I started with a chain and then used single crochet stitches, as well as half-doubles, doubles, and triples. I was able to make about 4 or 5 leaves during a single episode of Jeopardy. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make enough flowers to fill my farm stand while watching the NCAA women's basketball tournament starting next week.

This coming weekend Big City Girl will be competing in the crossword tournament. If she gets through the first rounds on Saturday, she'll go on to the final rounds on Sunday--her 27th birthday. She's not counting on that because the competition will likely be fierce. In fact, she's almost hoping she's free that day to party with her friends. I'm only sorry I didn't sew her a little something festive to wear--especially after I saw pictures of last year's tournament.

Maybe I'll ask her if she's ever come across frondescence in any of her previous crossword puzzles. It can't hurt to have a few 12-letter words in her arsenal. From the looks of things, there will be some serious players on the front lines. It's likely to be quite a scuffle.

Joyride

2011-03-13T13:36:00.011-04:00

Mr. Gadget and I ventured out on a little road trip yesterday. It was all because of these:

Dozens of pin backs I have in my stash. They needed something to cling to, and a sense of belonging to something much bigger.

Mr. Gadget rarely has a destination in mind when he suggests taking a road trip. He usually asks me where I want to go. He's good like that. He never learns. So we headed east and then north, and after a pesky little delay because of road construction we arrived at our destination.

Mr. G planned ahead and very smartly brought a book along for his one-hour wait. That's my allotted shopping time--an amount of time arrived at after much scientific experimentation. It's just enough time for me to make my selections and not so long that he starts having heart palpitations. He always tells me not to hurry, to take all the time I need.....but I know better.

I purchased some wool in a nice array of colors for my ongoing flower-felting project. Felted flowers and gold pin backs complement each other nicely. I wound a couple of yarn skeins into balls on the trip home--a trek that took longer than usual because of the circuitous route we followed so as to avoid the pesky road construction. It was a lovely drive through some areas of our state we hadn't seen before. Even though I've lived here for well over 25 years, I continue to be intrigued and entertained by New-England quaintness--the old barns that lean, the centuries-old houses with peeling paint, the rock walls, the long-dead and obviously forgotten Christmas wreaths on doors. I never seem to get my fill of quaint. I would have taken photos, but Mr. G isn't one to stop once he's on a roll.

I'm thinking that after I get my flowers all felted, and have neatly affixed gold pins to the backs, I'll take a picture of them in front of this quaint old barn. It's within walking distance of the Concondo.

Then maybe this spring I'll set up a little farm stand and post a sign by the side of the road: Colorful felted-flowers for sale. Handmade in New England. Great for accessorizing. Quaintness guaranteed.

Can you spell cheesy?

2011-03-10T10:33:00.010-05:00

I've been doing some sculpting on The Bawdy One.

Tech Guy tells me the head looks more like a he than a she. But I assured him the right hair and outfit will remove any confusion. I envision a witch wearing a revealing leotard and a tu-tu. Or something like that. Who knows? Usually these little clay folks like to call the shots.
One of the things I enjoy most about working with clay is how engrossing the process is--to the point that thoughts of everything else going on in my life fade into the distance. This is unlike knitting when I ruminate over problems or start to feel guilty that I'm not cleaning out a closet or questing for dust bunnies.

TBO is a work in progress so she still has lots of warts and skin issues. The magic word is sandpaper. It does wonders for smoothing out the trouble spots. If only I could take a tad off my thighs that easily.

So, have you seen the new Cheez-it's? Maybe they aren't new. I probably haven't been paying attention. I've always found the chocolate aisle much more alluring than the snack aisle. In fact, I think I'll send a letter off to those M & M people....

Flower basket and other things

2011-03-03T10:52:00.004-05:00

So yesterday I felted some crocheted flowers, being careful to put the colored ones in with a load of colored clothes, and the whites with whites. I'm pretty sure they felt better in the eastern washer than the western one because the water is hotter. I know a hot wash with a cold rinse is important for good felting results. From now on I will crochet in the west and felt in the east. Unlike macadamia nuts, crocheted flowers do not add to luggage weight.

And here are my Thursday socks. I've decided to make good on that slightly-belated new year's resolution. I think I have enough knitted socks in the drawer to get me through a week and then some. I have yarn left over and I don't remember if I made a mini-sweater out of it. If not, then most certainly I will make one when the mini-sweater mood comes back around.

Mr. BST (Big-Shot Tortoise) is in his tortoise house eating gourmet dandelion greens (special take-out from the spa) and cucumbers. He's bumping up against the walls making quite a racket and demanding a hot-stone massage. I think it's time for tough love.

Mr. Gadget spent some time yesterday on the phone with a IRS representative arguing over a piddly little issue that, in the great scheme of things, is hardly worth a moment of frustration. Did you know that if you yell at an agent of the IRS, he will yell right back?

We feel indeed lucky that our Concondo was in great shape when we returned after the winter from Hell. All around us our neighbors had roof leaks, water damage, and things blown loose from the winds.

Tech Guy is still in Jackson, but we should get an update whenever he decides to get up. He's probably not unlike one of those airline pilots who tells you, when you're late pulling away from the gate, not to worry because he'll make up the time once we're airborne.

I'm thinking about doing some volunteering at a local elementary school. They have a program where volunteers go in once a week and help second graders with reading and writing. I did similar work at TG's and BCG's school when they were young. I enjoyed it and it gave me a sense of making a difference. The first thing I'll do is insist that they read my blog....

Gotta go. The bawdy one beckons.

Trying to get it all back together

2011-03-02T21:05:00.001-05:00

I keep thinking one of these days I'll outsmart jet lag.

The suitcase-unpacking competition--that ever-popular bi-annual event here at Macaroni Stadium-- ended in a tie this time around. Please don't tell Mr. Gadget about those t-shirts and unmentionables I kicked under the bed.

Here's a snow picture taken as we departed L.A on Sunday. As planned, I had my warm coat, scarf and gloves under the seat in front of me thereby allowing sufficient space in my checked luggage for the chocolate-covered macadamia nuts--although one pair of jeans had to be sacrificed. No problem though. They were a little snug from the Kona-coffee flavored mac nuts I ate during and after the cruise....oh, and maybe a few onion and garlic ones too.

So now we are back at the Concondo and I've been checking items off of my re-entry list. One of those was to pick up Tech Guy's tortoise from the spa. Yes, that's right, the spa. Some very good friends offered to keep him while we were gone and they spoiled him big-time. He ate nothing but organic greens and special treats. They also allowed him to roam around the house. Yes, he had free roaming. I don't think there are many pet tortoises--or cell phones for that matter--that have free roaming. Now that Mr. Big-Shot tortoise is back here where things are more like a Super 8 motel than a 5-star resort, there'll be no living with him.

By the way, Tech Guy is driving our Calcar (recently replaced by a new version) back across the country. He's made it as far as Jackson, Miss. We've been tracking his progress by way of cell phone. I had planned to implant a chip, but....

I always like to have some airplane knitting, so I started some new socks. I probably should start wearing some of the socks I've made. I mostly just like to make socks; wearing them is not something I do often. I'd pass them on to Big City Girl, but I'd have to assume they'd join her dustmop collection. Maybe I'll make a new year's resolution to start wearing my handmade socks. It's only March 2nd. It's not too late, is it?

So now I'm trying to decide what kind of new project to start. I'm bored with cloth dolls for the moment. Maybe I'll do a little something with clay. The Bawdy One has been sitting in the Treehouse for months while I've pondered how to finish her.

Here she is with some of her bawdiness hidden from view. Maybe when I get my hands back in the clay the muse will show up.

And speaking of Big City Girl, she has some exciting plans later this month. She's entered this.
I asked her if there would be a spectator section for moms so I could come and cheer her on. I also wondered if I'd be able to find the place by myself, since I have no city smarts.

"Don't worry," she reassured me. "Just take the G train to Brooklyn and get off near my apartment. Then walk 6 blocks down and 4 streets across...."

Treasure

2011-02-26T19:04:00.004-05:00

Earlier today Mr. Gadget accused me of being a dumpster diver. All I did was take a bag of garbage out to the dumpster, wherein I noticed this pretty butterfly seemingly perched atop another bag of same. Very soon I realized it was part of a Valentine bouquet someone had discarded. The flowers were wilted and brown, but this pinkish-purplish butterfly was in fine shape and it really needed to come home with me. I can hardly be called a dumpster diver. I had no intent to scavenge. It was all rather serendipitous. Mr. Gadget better watch his tongue.

So tomorrow we're set to return to the cold northeast, although the weatherman says it may get down to 36 degrees here in SoCal tonight. It may be the first time ever that I'll leave the Calcondo in the same winter-wear I'll need at the Concondo. This will definitely help the baggage-weight situation. I was afraid I might have to leave the chocolate-covered mac nuts behind.

A little Hawaiian humor

2011-02-24T15:57:00.013-05:00

The nene--the state bird of Hawaii.

Definitely a nono.

Dock workers getting ready to secure our ship to the pier in Honolulu. One to pull the rope, one to give directional instructions, and two to supervise. Not unlike a road repair crew in Connecticut.
Bored tugboat captain doing 360's.

Two of the multitude of chickens that roam aimlessly around the island of Kauai.

A wonderfully whimsical clay fish--the work of Maui artist Steven Smeltzer.

Birds in a nest with egg. The towel artistry of our room steward, Savio.

Encenada, Mexico. Such an unlikely place to run into the Queen (Victoria)!

We've run aground

2011-02-21T12:10:00.002-05:00

Now where was I? Oh yes, now I remember. I was getting ready to post another report from the cruise when, somehow, one of my body parts accidently leaned against the laptop's delete key....sometimes I really miss my old Selectric...and then, somehow, I lost my will to post. And what with the lei-making classes, hula lessons, ukelele tutorials, and the knitting get-togethers, I just never got back to the blog.

Actually, I didn't attend any of those lessons. I mostly just sat on a lounge chair in the covered pool area and knitted and read. I did, however, take small breaks to visit the buffet for lunch or ice cream or cookies, and because of that I now find myself in quite a predicament. Fewer of my clothes fit.

I'm also dealing with another predicament that doesn't seem to be getting any better with time. Cruise lag. It has nothing to do with the clock; it's a total aversion to the washing machine, the kitchen, and making the bed. I must remember all of this the next time Mr. Gadget twists my arm about taking another cruise...

We did have a very nice time. The weather was good and the seas continued to be calm the whole way...which ended up being just over 5,000 nautical miles. One of the highlights of the cruise was seeing whales in Maui.

Another was a visit to Volcano National Park on Hawaii.

Getting together on sea-day mornings with a great bunch of ladies to knit and do handwork was lots of fun too.

We've already been in touch by email to trade patterns and moan about how unfair it seems that we've had to return to dry land.

I'll be back soon with a few more cruise stories before delving back into crafty stuff. There's not much going on in that department anyway, but I'm itching to start something. I'm hoping it's just that and not bed bugs....

Whales and whatnot

2011-02-11T00:36:00.001-05:00

Today we are in Maui where the whales are plentiful.....and I don't just mean the ones at the buffet. A large pod of 7 or 8 swam past our side of the ship a little earlier, and Mr. G and I were surprised at how much noise they made. We took lots of pictures... which I will post at the end of the cruise. In a couple of hours, the captain will hoist the anchor and we'll be heading eastward for home. The return trip will take 4 days, and we'll spend part of the 5th and final day in Ensenada, Mexico....not noted for being particularly scenic or exciting. The stop is solely for the purpose of complying with The Jones Act--a ruling that requires a ship leaving and returning to a US port to make a stop at a foreign port.

So far, this has been a great trip. We've had good weather and calm seas--both unusual for January. Of course, we still have several more days to go, so there's no telling what could be in store. Yesterday we were on the island of Kauai, where we took a river cruise to the fern grotto. One of the things we noticed was the great number of chickens running loose everywhere. It seems that many years ago Kauai had a hurricane and the chicken coops around the island were the first things to go, and all the chickens flew the coop. Rounding them all up proved to be an impossible task and they've been reproducing in great numbers ever since. They do add a bit of whimsy which I find charming. You know what a fan I am of whimsy. If only I had my embroidery thread...

Tomorrow I'll get together with the other needleworkers again, and we'll have a show-and-tell. I'll see if anyone else has made progress on their projects, and I'll find out if any of them scored any great fabric or fiber finds on the islands. I did see some shops out of the sightseeing bus windows, but I couldn't convince the drivers to stop. If only I was in charge of choosing the excursions. There would be fewer fern grottos and more fabric stores. I'll drop a note to the captain....

At sea

2011-02-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

Mr. Gadget and I have been afloat for 4 days now and we are making good progress on our resting-up project . A typical day at sea for us is to get up around 8, have some coffee (tea for Mr. G), then some breakfast....and then we stake out a couple of deck chairs for the duration. Since the first couple of days out of L.A. are usually cool this time of year, we opt for the covered pool area where it is usually quite nice--except for a nonstop ping-pong-playing Asian foursome. But if we pick the right chairs, we are far enough away from the noise, yet still well enough situated for a view of the wildlife in the pool.

The weather has been sunny for the most part, and the seas are fairly smooth with alternating slight (1 to 3 ft.) to moderate (4 - 7 ft.) swells. No Dramamine for us. And most importantly, no missing of any meals. We should be arriving in Hilo, on the big island of Hawaii, tomorrow morning. Mr. G and I have signed up for an excursion to Volcano National Park.

In yesterday's newsletter (the listing of daily activities onboard) there was mention of a needleworker's meet-up in the Promenade Bar at 9:30 a.m. Fortunately I brought along a mindless-knitting project-- a red garter-stitched scarf--so I made a beeline down to deck 7. When needleworkers get together there are never any strangers, and the 12 or 15 ladies in the group were friendly and fun. In fact, we had such a nice time we decided to get together each sea day at the same time in the same place. That is, unless we get booted out by the bunco ladies. I hear they can be a bossy lot.

I guess that's it for this time. I'd better sit for a while and take a little break before dinner. This resting-up is harder than it looks...

Update: A couple of days have gone by....somehow.....I don't have any idea how that happened.....since I wrote this post about us being afloat. We have now been and gone from Hilo (where we had a great excursion to the volcano) and we are currently tied to the dock at Honolulu. Since we've been here before, we are mostly enjoying ourselves on the ship which is like a ghost town. No loud ping-pong players, no one pushing in line at the buffet, and lots of quiet which is very nap-enabling. I wonder how much it would cost to charter this thing?

Pre-party warm-up

2011-02-01T21:59:00.004-05:00

Mr. Gadget and I briefly interrupted our cruise packing for a little pre-party warm-up. We'll be setting sail tomorrow at 4 p.m. with high expectations for warm weather, smooth seas and no snow. Especially the no-snow part.

I'm planning to keep the blog going while I'm at sea, but it will probably look a little different because of my lack of tech skills. And there will be no pictures until I get back. There's a limit to what I can deliver when left to my own devices.

Our first four days will be at sea, and then we will arrive in Hilo. Mr. Gadget and I love sea days. This isn't everyone's cup 'o tea, but we like to sit in deck chairs and stare at the ocean, and take naps and do nothing. Some people call us Mr. and Mrs. Excitement.

So now I must resume the cruise packing. And then I will be resting up so I can be well-rested for resting up.

Stay tuned for more from the high seas.