Switching coasts

Tomorrow hubby and I will be flying out to the west coast for some nice southern California weather. It will be a nice relief to leave this hot, muggy east coast weather behind.....which doesn't ever come about gradually. It seems like we're always turning off the heat with one hand while turning on the A/C with the other.

So today is a crazy day, with the two of us trying to get organized and packed. This time I'll try not to forget anything. On a previous trip, we flew out to the west coast, and returned via a two-week Panama Canal cruise. In my efforts to get organized for that trip, I separated out my formal clothes (there are 3 formal nights on a two-week cruise) and hung them in the guest room closet.....right next to the bed where our suitcases were open for packing....and I forgot to pack them.

So a short post today, since I'm so busy trying to remember stuff. Better go. Hubby is about to pack up the laptop. He's very organized. He makes lists. Once in a while I make lists too, but I usually forget where I've put them and find them years later when I'm looking for something else. We have a pretty good working relationship though. He never has to look up a phone number because I never forget those.....

Another doll finished

Big City Girl graduated from college yesterday. We were all very proud of her, and she was quite proud of herself....which is how it should be! As we were leaving the stadium, on one of the 45 shuttle buses, we passed by her old freshman dorm. It was almost impossible to believe we had delivered her there just four years ago.

We left home early in anticipation of the traffic that was predicted. I guess we could have slept a few more minutes. As we approached the stadium, we saw lots of parking spaces and found one very close. But apparently this was the basketball stadium and not the one for football/graduation. Hubby was a little miffed at me. I think he figured I should have been better prepared for my job as campus GPS person. Lucky for us, a nice shuttle bus driver stopped very soon to ask if wanted a ride.

Since we were so early, we had our choice of seats in the stadium, so we chose some that were close to where BCG's seating section would be. Not-so-conveniently, she ended up behind the tent. But not to worry. Tech Guy and BCG each had their cell phones with cameras, so we got to see a picture of her among the graduates, and she got to see a picture of her family in the stands.

Unfortunately, some of the graduates weren't too well-behaved. In addition to a couple dozen beach balls being tossed around, someone brought a naked, plastic blow-up woman. She made the rounds for five minutes or so, until one of the deans, decked out in his full regalia, leaned into the crowd to retrieve her. The sight of him carrying her off to a hiding place behind the podium was pretty humorous, but I decided to respect the ceremonious nature of the occasion and not record it.

So now BCG is back in the big city working. The celebrating will have to wait. And here at home, some things never change. She packed up her stuff and left for the train. And her cap and gown are here on the floor. A mom should never be without a good supply of dust mops.

Fred the cat

Here is Fred, the cat I made for Olga. He's all done except for a couple of wild whiskers. I think he got into the peanut butter! I've made lots of cats, but still haven't settled on a really good way to do the whiskers. On Fred, I used heavy-duty nylon thread. It's nice because it has a little spring to it. As long as the whiskers go east and west, everything's ok. But usually one or two decide to go south. That's when I tell people he got into the peanut butter. I hope Olga likes her new kitty. I think he'll make a nice nursing home pet. He'll be traveling in a plastic bag under the seat in front of me on the airplane. I hope he's not expecting one of those fancy cat carriers....

So Big City Girl was here yesterday....briefly. Most visits are brief because she always has exciting things to do elsewhere. I picked her up at the train station, took her to two appointments, and deposited her at a local shopping center to meet up with some friends who were headed up to Massachusetts. The graduation celebration was starting early. Hubby, Tech Guy and I will drive up tomorrow morning. We'll be leaving at 6 a.m., hoping to get a jump on what is certainly going to be a traffic nightmare......well, let's just say it's sure to be a challenge.

I insisted that BCG make sure her cell phone is fully charged so that we can figure out where she is in the sea of graduates who will be filling the football field. Yes, technology can be your friend when your child attends one of the biggest universities in the northeast. Well, it was that or the megaphone. Then later, if we find her, we'll have a little tailgate party in the parking lot with sandwiches, sodas and some "food of love" dessert. Good thing the celebrating is starting early because there won't be much of it afterwards. Poor BCG has to work on Monday. Real life begins.......

Good-bye old friend!

It is with a great deal of sadness that I report the not-so-untimely passing of my old wallet. It has served me well for the last 25 years or so....probably more.....but I'm embarrassed to think how much more. I had been thinking of replacing it for years, but just hadn't gotten around to it.....til now.

As I was walking through Macy's today, on my way out after already having done more shopping than is typical of me, this cute little crafty number caught my eye. A saleslady with some idle time was tidying up the wallet display with a feather duster, so I browsed around in the handbags til she was done and then I grabbed it up, all freshly dusted. It's a little smaller than my old one, so should leave just enough room in my purse for my new electronic toys.

I'm not sure what I will do with the old one. It has been my constant companion for years now, so I'm not too thrilled at the idea of just tossing it in the garbage. I'll probably do what I usually do with things I'm finished with. I'll find a place to stash it in my big stash collection, and eventually I'll end up throwing it in the garbage anyway. But the separation anxiety should have lessened significantly by then.

And if you're feeling a little weepy for me, here is a picture I've been saving for a time when I needed something light-hearted and less somber. It's me and Lego Man. It was taken during my last visit to Calif. when hubby and I went to Disneyland. We were on our way out and decided to take a stroll through Downtown Disney--a long boulevard of shops and restaurants just outside of the main gate. Lego Man didn't have much to say, so I didn't stay very long. Probably just as well, since I would have no doubt nodded off right along with him.

Next Wed. we'll be heading out west again for a few weeks. I have to pack, but otherwise I'm ready. I've got my new cell phone so I can stay in touch 24/7, we've got the new GPS so we'll never get lost, and I've got the new camera, so I'll be able to record and report much more than you'd ever have a need to know. But I promise to do it in a humorous way. The wallet grief should be mostly gone by then....

Reading about writing

Here is Fred, not quite finished and a little out of focus. I still have a lot to learn, and one of those things is having the patience to read the manuals. Late yesterday, I told hubby not to give me any more pointers on the operation of my technical stuff. My brain had maxed out for the day.

Anyway, Fred is posed with one of my favorite books on writing, which I've recently started reading again. Poor Fred is smiling because he thinks it's about the birds in the backyard. The book is Bird by Bird and the author is Anne Lamott. The title refers to one of her childhood memories of seeing her brother struggle to write a school report about birds. When the task seemed completely overwhelming, his father (also a writer) lovingly put his arm around his son and told him he could more easily complete the project if he just took it bird-by-bird. Good advice for anything in life I think.

In the introduction she says, "One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around." I have to say that the blog has motivated me to be more observant, and to pay more attention to people and things around me. There are always things to write about and stories to tell.....what with all the daily lurching and tramping.

So today I did something I don't remember ever doing before. I ask hubby, no....I pleaded with him not to do something. When I returned from the grocery store, I noticed that he had the ladder up against the house with the intention of going all the way up to the top roof (we have a colonial style, so we have two) to clean gutters. Since we're going away next week, and before that we have BCG's college graduation.....and hubby does not have a good track record for doing house projects without injury.....well, all these things combined to make me a screaming crazy woman, I mean...a concerned wife. I'm happy to say he regained his sanity, I mean...he decided I might have a good point, and put the ladder away.

Just last night, we were having a discussion about marriages and why some last longer than others. I said that I believe many marriages fail because one person always insists on being right. Maybe once in 25 years won't hurt......

Got Rhodies!

I just love rhododendrons. Every spring they burst forth in bloom without even five minutes of attention from me. Then I can take their picture and make people think I'm a wonderful gardener. But that would be far from the truth. All I've been planting lately is mulch with hopes that it will keep the weeds to a minimum. Since we've become summer travelers, it doesn't make sense to plant flowers that won't get regular watering, and would most likely just end up being deer food anyway. Too bad those deer haven't learned to like weeds. Maybe a little ketchup would help. Remember when your mom used to tell you liver would taste good if you'd put ketchup on it?

So today I took a little trip to the Tarrywile Mansion here in the town where I live. It's owned by the city and has become a popular spot for weddings and other special occasions. There are lots of hiking trails on the grounds, and a wonderful area for picnics. I had arranged to meet my friend Linda there for a brown bag lunch. She is the recreation director for one of the local nursing homes, and the one who started a Red Hat group for the residents. You may remember my plan to write up this story for submission to the Chicken Soup people for a new book on Red Hats. So now I have lots of good story fodder and the fun begins.....honing it all down to something that makes sense in 1000 words or less...

And on my way over to Tarrywile, I observed something that now prompts me to start a new blog category called Strange Sightings. As I drove along a heavily-traveled, two-lane road that is lined with businesses, I noticed a man walking toward me along the side. He was dressed in business casual clothing, and he was playing a bagpipe. I wasn't sure I was seeing correctly, but sure enough, as I passed him I could actually hear the bagpipe. I think this puts a whole 'nother spin on multi-tasking. He was probably just spending his lunch hour getting some exercise and practicing his music. Well, I hope that was it and he wasn't an apparition returning to the cemetery just down the road......

So I've been working on Olga's cat and I may have a photo tomorrow. Unlike Loretta the ladybug, the cat seems pleased with the outfit I picked out, especially the red polka-dot bow tie. I'll let Olga name him, but if she can't come up with anything, I think he'll just be Fred.

Flying things

The other day I made mention of a story called "Hubby the Bat Slayer." Funny how I just happen to have something crafty with which to illustrate my story.

Here's how I remember it. We had just turned the light out to go to sleep one night, when I started hearing the hum of wings of some kind above my head. We do have big moths in the house sometimes, so I figured that was it. But the longer I listened and the lower it swooped, the more concerned I became. "Are you awake?" I whispered to hubby. He said he was. "Do you hear something flying in here?" He said he did. So he turned the light on, and I dove further under the covers, making sure no part of my head was exposed.

"What is it?" I asked. "It's a bat," said he. And he grabbed the only bat weapon that was handy (he reported later, since I was unseeing under the covers)--one of my crocheted afghans! And he batted at the bat until the bat was on the floor, dazed, and willing to be scooped into a shoe box for transport downstairs and into the backyard for release. As you might imagine, the bat story became good cocktail party conversation, but the weapon was much higher caliber and the bat was the biggest one he's ever seen.

And on the lighter side, here is a gentle hummingbird having a drink at our feeder. Well, I thought they were gentle until I noticed two of them having a little scuffle below the feeder in the bushes. I wasn't sure if they were fighting over food or doing a little mating dance. With all of the animal and bird antics going on in our yard, there's plenty to keep me entertained and really no need to get involved in reality shows on TV. And you know I can always get caught up on that action with each of my dental visits.

So today hubby and I will go to the phone store to pick out new phones. It seems that ours have become relics. I don't use mine very much, so I mostly pay the monthly fee just for peace of mind. For a while, before we traveled anywhere, I would plead with the kids to put something in their wallets with our emergency contact info. They said they would. But now there's this new thing (or maybe I'm way behind the times) where they can program "ICE" (in case of emergency) into their cell phones. I watched Tech Guy do it last night when he came for dinner, and I'll make sure BCG does hers next weekend.

Sometimes technology can be your friend. It will be interesting to see just how friendly I feel after I've read the directions for the new phone, continued to study up on the new do-everything-but-the-dishes digital camera, and attempted to handle a request from hubby to reprogram the new GPS as we sail down the highway at 70 mpg.....

Fun in a bottle

This came in the mail today. The bottle, not the frog. Can you see the stamp on it? How much do you think it cost to mail it? Here's a hint: it's plastic and has about an ounce of sand it it, along with several small shells....and a paper scroll. All of that required an 87-cent stamp. It's probably the special bottle rate. It's guaranteed to get to the recipient more quickly that way than if they had just floated it down the river.

The scroll is a wedding invitation. The edges have been charred, so I'm wondering if I should get my pirate outfit cleaned for the occasion. It's to be held in August on Block Island. Hubby and I don't know the bride and groom, but we are very good friends with the groom's grandparents. They will be flying in from Texas, but from Connecticut we will just have to hop on the ferry. It should be a fun and festive day, and a great chance to see our friends who we don't get to see very often. And now that we've been to Martha's Vineyard, and will soon be visiting Block Island, I'm wondering....can Nantucket be very far behind?

So BCG was here today for a very brief visit. She arrived on the noon train, and returned on the 4 o'clock (but not until she scavenged the crossword puzzle out of our newspaper) and while she was here she attended a friend's graduation party AND tried on the dust mop sweater. I'm happy to say that it fits perfectly! I was afraid the sleeves might be a tad too long, but it turns out they're just right. So now I will go ahead and finish it and start browsing for my next sweater project with renewed knitting confidence. And here's a note to my knitting friends out there (and you know who you are!)......I think I'm on my way to becoming a yarn snob......

Dust mop blocking begins

I decided to do a little blocking of the dust mop sweater. I put Mr. Sheep on the job to watch over it....just to make sure Loretta and the others don't wander over to have a little picnic. Since Big City Girl will be home this weekend for a short visit, and to attend a friend's graduation party, I would like to see how it's going to fit. Mostly, I want to see about the sleeve length. Although I don't look forward to shortening the sleeves, a little more frogging and tinking isn't going to kill me. After all, I'm really good at it now.

So I finally met our new next-door neighbor today as I was leaving to go shopping. We exchanged some small talk, and I told him that hubby and I would stop by to say hello and meet his wife over the weekend if they were going to be around. "We'll be here on Sunday," he said, "but on Saturday we'll be going to our daughter's college graduation." To which I replied that we would be attending our daughter's graduation the following weekend. I can hardly wait to tell BCG that now, after more than 22 years, she finally has a playmate in the neighborhood who's just her age!

The sun is finally out here in Connecticut and people are smiling again. Even the birds are happy. The hummingbirds have been at the feeder, the cardinals are spashing around in the birdbath and the bluejays are hogging the gazebo feeder. Yesterday I spotted a wild turkey strutting across a lawn nearby. I wonder....can the mosquitoes be far behind? Or the bats? Which reminds me of a great story. It's called "Hubby the Bat Slayer." But it will have to wait for another day.....

Car Knitting

Car knitting is what I do while my husband drives.....well, as long as he's driving sanely and I don't have to use one hand to clutch that little grab bar thingie while chewing my nails on the other. It's been known to happen. Good thing he doesn't read this! When I first started the blog, he would ask me each day if I had posted yet. I eventually told him that he didn't really need to read it because it was mostly about knitting and dolls and stuff. He happily went back to his Scientific American.

Anyway, car knitting isn't just about knitting in the car. Many years ago I knitted this sweater vest for my father. You'll have to visualize it a few shades lighter. I could have posed the Halloween cat with it.... My father was a big VW fan back in his day. He was especially fond of the models made in 1957 and before--the ones with the little "football" window as they were called. He had several over the years, but his favorite was the gray one. Once in a while, he'd even let me drive it. That was back when I was a regular driver of standard shifts. For years I had a red Kharman Ghia which I was quite fond of, and only gave it up when I had Tech Guy and couldn't get a car seat in it. Well, that and the fact that we had moved to south Texas and it had no A/C.


So today I was rummaging through a closet and discovered some handwork that my grandma did long ago. This is one of a set of pillowcases. I was thinking I might make some pillowcase dolls--just a simple doll with a dress and bonnet made from a pillowcase. I have a pattern somewhere. It might be nice to pass them on to a couple of my cousins. We used to spend time together at grandma's house and she would make us all wonderful doll clothes.....while we snuck cookies out of her sailor boy cookie jar!

When I turned the pillowcase over, I noticed some dark handstitched appliques on the back that seemed puzzling (sorry, I forgot to rotate it!) After some thought, I'm thinking this was grandma's attempt to make a ghost costume for one of her grandkids for Halloween. Or maybe a puppet. Or maybe just to gives someone a little scare when they pulled it out of the linen closet....

So tonight I'm going to a little knitting get-together at the local senior center. It's just starting up and has been advertised as a multi-generational group. Good thing I had my hair colored today! Maybe they'll think I'm younger rather than older.... Maybe I should wear the car sweater and my crazy bird socks. I could accessorize the whole thing with my bright purple crocheted boa. I'm not planning to take the dust mop sweater to work on though. If I try to knit and talk, I'm sure I'll be doing lots of tinking tomorrow....

Black Cat

Here is the black cat, all finished and looking excited about Halloween. He'll just have to be patient though. And if he is, maybe I'll make him a friend. They can sit together on the windowsill and watch for the leaves to start changing color--a sure sign that Halloween is on the way. I made lots of the fabric pumpkins a few years ago. Everytime I went to the fabric store, I'd see something in a great shade of orange that I couldn't resist. Soon I was Queen of the Pumpkin Patch. I had quite a festive booth at craft fairs. I've given many away to friends, who have learned over the years that when I'm invited to their houses, I don't bring wine or flowers. It's strictly cloth.

And here are the painted rocks, as promised. The cat is a special piece because I found the rock here in Connecticut and sent it to my friend in Texas with a request that her daughter paint it to look like my calico cat, Sparkle. It's a good likeness I think, and certainly more special to me now that Sparkle has moved on to kitty heaven.

My mother used to pick up rocks when she traveled. She had a bowl in the living room where she'd keep them. When I started traveling, I would occasionally bring one back to add to her collection. On a student trip to Europe back in the 60's, I picked up a small piece of the Berlin Wall. I don't know what became of the rock collection. After my mom passed away, my dad went into a clearing-out mode. He may have just figured they were....well.....old rocks and tossed them. Sometimes men don't recognize true treasures.

I started a little rock collection of my own not long ago. I picked up a nice round stone from the driveway of BCG's first off-campus apartment. You might remember, this was the place where the girls lived upstairs and the boys down. These were the boys who borrowed the girls' dishes when their own were dirty, and broke the pipes when they let the oil run out. The same boys who assumed the girls' apartment was open 24/7 for video games. I think I'll paint the rock with some pretty colors, wrap it up in a nice gift box, and give it to her.....maybe for graduation....as a little memento of all those fun-filled college years....

More favorite things

Since today is Mother's Day, it seems appropriate to share a couple of items from my "Favorite Things My Kids Made" list. The first is an embroidered pillow made by Tech Guy when he was 11 or 12. I will never forget the circumstances. He had been grounded and was serving time for an offense that shall remain nameless. What has always been amazing to me is how he did this all on his own without any sewing or embroidery instruction. His observation skills must have been keen, or else there is some sort of genetic explanation.

The second work-of-art was done by Big City Girl. It's a pen and ink drawing with cut-out letters that have been glued on, and a stained-glass effect along the bottom. I need to get busy and find a suitable frame. BCG usually has her sketchbook with her and draws wonderful pen and ink drawings of all kinds of things. Sometimes outdoor scenes, and sometimes just a hairbrush. It's a rare treat when she allows me a glimpse of her pages.

So Tech Guy asked me what I'd like for Mother's Day, and I told him I had everything I could ever need or want, but it would be nice if he came over and gave me a big hug. And then I thought it might be nice to have a fancy banner for my blog. The obvious complexity of that project just boggles my mind, but he is...after all....the Tech Guy. "Maybe you could do something with pasta," I suggested. I haven't heard back yet. I'm pretty sure that when I mention pasta to him, he's thinking dinner at Mom's with some leftovers. I think a nice banner might be worth a big plate of lasagna. I'd even throw in some chocolate chip cookies....and maybe a load of laundry if it's really a mouth-watering banner.

While waiting for ladybug inspiration and the black cat's paint to dry, I did cut out the pieces for Olga's cat. Kitty construction will begin soon. And just for fun, go over and look at Mimi's blog to see what she has been constructing lately.....out of thread and fabric....or is that nuts and bolts?

Little primitive cat

It's a rainy day here in the east, and a good time to stay inside and organize the craft room, and stuff a little primitive cat. I'm planning to paint him black, and that reminds me of Halloween, so I included some pumpkins just to brighten things up.

The two on the left are ones I made out of paper clay. The one on the right is a painted rock, made by a friend's daughter. I have two more of her pieces--a house and a cat, also made from rocks. I should have included them in the picture, but I didn't think about it. I will do that when I take a picture of the finished cat......if I remember......

Ladybug Loretta still sits. I think I know what the problem is. When I was taking a journalism class in college, the professor told us that sometimes we would become very attached to certain parts of our writing. We would think it was some of the best writing we'd ever done and possibly worthy of a Pulitzer. We would find it extremely difficult to just let it go when it didn't work with the story. Loretta's wings just aren't working with the story. They are shimmery and wonderful, and a nice garden green. But they just don't work with the rest of her body. So I need to do some hard editing. While I wait for a solution, I'll start sketching out plans for a garden angel who might be happy to inherit Loretta's wings. I'm sure I have an envelope around here somewhere.......

Unfortunately, little Ms. Red Shoes didn't sell on eBay, so she will stay right here with me in the craft room. Actually, I'm not too disappointed. I think I will change the "2006" to "1997" and she will be my graduation gift to me....... just a little bit late. Then we'll have a party......with cake......

Hi-tech observations

Yesterday afternoon I took a little tour of the yard with hubby and the new camera. This was to be the basic tutorial. Since I don't like to read cumbersome instruction books, and he seems to actually enjoy it, this seemed like a great arrangement. The first lesson involved learning how to turn it on, zoom in and out, and turn it off.

So I decided that the yard tour should have a theme, for blogging purposes of course. I would look for signs of living things that frequent the yard....some welcomed, and some that we would rather have go elsewhere. The first picture (this means a multiple picture challenge) is of the azalea bush in front of our garage. You will note that the top of the bush is awash with blooms. That's because the deer have munched everything at the level of their mouths and down. Definitely not deers that are dears....

The second picture is what is left of a tree we had cut down a few weeks ago. It was starting to lean a little too close to the house for our comfort. Hubby told the tree guy not to drive his bucket truck onto the lawn, so he climbed up the tree...fast like a monkey....with the belt and the shoes with metal climbing spikes and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth! Picture a guy hanging by a belt from a tree with a cigarette in his mouth while wielding a chain saw in both hands. I guess that's what some would call living on the edge.

The last picture is a tree in our front yard that looks like someone used it for target practice. Not so. It's a big red-headed woodpecker's buffet. There must be some real tasty treats in there. He pecks and pecks until he can't get his head in any further, and then he starts a new one. Kind of like me when I'm going through the fridge and the cupboards looking for a late night snack. Only I'm a lot more quiet about it.

So that's about it for the nature tour. I seem to have mastered the first part of the tutorial. Hubby says this camera is quite amazing and will do about a gazillion things. Yeah, but will it load the dishwasher?

A treehouse....almost

I have nothing crafty to show today. Actually, I'm not in a very good mood and it's all Loretta's fault. I thought I'd have her finished today, but I put the ruffled collar on her and pinned the wings on, and it's just not right. The color is off. So she'll just have to sit here for now while I stew about it.

I took this picture of my craft room some time ago, as you can probably tell from the snowy scene outside. This used to be Tech Guy's room. The day after he moved out, I moved the paint cans in. In fact, I think they may have been sitting out in the hall before he actually moved out, and I believe he was a little put out that I was, maybe, chomping at the bit.

I remember when both kids were teenagers and I was having an especially difficult time putting up with their $%@!...... I mean, dealing with their issues. I gave some thought to using some of my craft fair proceeds to hire a carpenter to build me a treehouse. It wouldn't need much furnishing, because I'd just sit out there and knit or read. But there would be one very important accessory I would need, and that was one of those rope ladders that I could pull up behind me. Well, that and maybe a can of Raid. I even thought of putting a little basket on a rope that I could lower down for bribes. If they promised not to fight anymore, and sent up plenty of Snickers bars, I might be convinced to come down.

But things do change, and today Big City Girl called from her office in NYC, where she is now working for a tour company, just to say hi. She says she likes her job, and she mentioned that a lady called to inquire about a tour of Greenwich Village for her Red Hat group. During their conversation, BCG mentioned that her mother was a Red Hat Lady, and not only that, she was a Red Hat Lady who makes Red Hat Lady dolls. So nice of her to be thinking of me! I did remind her though that I would be going on vacation shortly and would be taking a break from dollmaking......to which she said, "Well, you wouldn't go if I got you 40 orders would you?"

So I'm going to give Loretta a little "time-out" while I go do some laundry or something. Maybe I'll knit a few rows on the dust mop.......

Hi-tech toy; Low-tech brain

Hubby, bless his heart, bought me an early Mother's Day present. It's a new mini-digital camera which I will never have an excuse to be without. The great news is that I will now have limitless blog possibilities. The bad news is that I now have to read the instruction book. I remember when there were booklets, but now there are books. I'd prefer having an "on-off" life, or even "wind-up" is fine.....like the chattering teeth. They are easy to operate with no instruction needed. But I am determined to take on new technical challenges and grow gracefully into the modern age.....hopefully before it gets so far ahead of me there'll be no catching up.

Knitting challenges, on the other hand, should be finite. I think all of the stitches and techniques have already been invented. The dust mop sweater is giving me lots of "tinking" practice. Last night I discovered the stitch pattern was off, so I had to tink 8 rows. It probably had something to do with decreasing every 4th row on one side of the front for the neckline, every row 5 times on the other side for the armhole shaping, all the while keeping the stitch pattern going. Hubby actually had the nerve to ask me why I just didn't give it up. I figure that if I can finish this sweater, and figure out the new camera, I should have a nice boost in my self esteem. Somewhere I read that you don't get self esteem from reading self-help books. You get it from taking on challenges and completing them. That's why I do it. Well, at my age there's that and the dementia thing....

So this morning I went to my Weight Watchers meeting, and Rich (our great leader) was back from a vacation in France. He told us that hardly anyone in France is fat, and that they walk everywhere, and have no behinds.....but he didn't use the word "behinds"...heh..heh...Then a nice lady in the back row, who was obviously many pounds away from her goal, raised her hand and in a cute French accent said, "I know. I used to look like that til I came to this country." So, I think if this WW thing doesn't work for me this time, I'll book a flight to France and see what kind of results I get from the wine and croissants and.....oh yeah, the walking.....

Ladybug Wannabe

As you can see, the ladybug is underway. I'm very happy with the color. Her arms and legs will be painted black and she'll have little painted shoes with some sort of embellishment. I'm reconsidering the black tulle collar. Too much black I think. Maybe yellow. After I decide what to make the wings out of, I'll choose the collar fabric. So far, I'm pleased with how she's coming along.

Oh, her name is Loretta by the way. Once I finish Loretta, I'll probably put her up on eBay.....unless she experiences a mishap along the way. I've been known to let my scissors slip when I try to sew too far into the night. That would be most unfortunate, and ever-so-painful for poor Loretta! Then I'll take a break from the auction business, and move into the gift business. I'm going to make a cat for Olga.

Olga is one of my dad's neighbors in the nursing home. She and I have gotten friendly, and I often visit with her--but only after I've had my dad visit, because he gets jealous! She understands. I always wave or say hello on my way in, and tell her, "I'll be back." She loves to talk about the wonderful Greek cookies she used to make, and she's a very big USC football fan---so I never stop by when there's a big game on.

One day I took my laptop into the home so I could show my dad some family pictures, and when I was done I also showed them to Olga. In addition to family pictures, I had several pictures of my dolls. She loved the cat, and asked me if I would make her one and said she would make sure to tell her daughter to bring the money in ahead of time so she could pay me. But I have no intention of charging her for the cat. Sometimes it makes me feel good to give one away to special people. I only hope it's a cat that likes football!

So I ended up going to the Frank McCourt talk yesterday without Tech Guy. He got a better offer (a boat trip on the lake.) The program was very good, and I enjoyed hearing him talk about his writing process. He writes longhand in a marble composition book.....sometimes in bed with his morning coffee. And he talked about his 30+ years of experience teaching creative writing in NYC high schools. After finding that most of his students were unmotivated to write anything, he assigned them to write excuse notes (for a future child), restaurant reviews of the school cafeteria, and obituaries for themselves and the principal. The students were happy, but apparently a few others weren't smiling.

Work continues on the dust mop sweater. I've finished the back and am now working on the right front. The stitch pattern is challenging and I've had to rip and re-do many times. It turns out that what I've been doing is called tinking, not frogging. Frogging is when you take the work totally off the needles and unravel back to where you made the mistake. Tinking is when you actually unknit stitches one-at-a-time (tink is knit spelled backwards...heh..heh...) I guess tinking is better than frogging when you think about it. But no matter what, it's enough to make me croak....

Ms. Red Shoes

She's done. She finally relented and let me install her hat. So now she's up on eBay, and we'll just see how that goes. She told me she hopes to be adopted by someone who will take her along to a graduation party where there'll be lots of cake.

The other day I got to thinking about one of my favorite stories when I was a kid. It was in a Better Homes & Gardens children's book and I still have it somewhere. The story was about a little girl who had lots of dolls and one night they all came to life. I think maybe I'm re-creating parts of my childhood that I would be better off to just let go of.

Today I cut out the pieces for the ladybug doll. The red body pieces are awaiting some black painted dots. I tried my idea of painting them on the fabric, and I think it will work out well. I was pondering what I might use for the clown-like collar, and I think I have some black fabric....almost like tulle....with some sparklies. I think I stashed it with my Halloween stuff. It's in a safe place.....somewhere.....

So yesterday I had a little lull here in the craft room, and I cut out a primitive cat. I wouldn't call it a doll though. I drew an outline of a cat with four legs and a tail, but in a primitive style. With two pieces together, I'll sew around the outline, turn it right side out, and then stuff it. Then the fun part happens. I paint the whole thing black, except for eyes, nose and mouth. This one will have a big smiley mouth. These sorts of things appeal to people who have primitive decor.....or to those who love cats in any form. It can be put in a bookcase leaning against the books, or on a windowsill. I may put a little hook on the back so it can hang. I'll post pictures of everything when I'm done. I hope the cat and the ladybug don't fight for my attention.

So I think I need a break from my craft room, where things seem to be stirring. Tomorrow, Tech Guy will join me for a program at the local college (we're both alums.) Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes and more recently Teacher Man, will be speaking. Maybe I'll see my old Journalism professor. And when he asks me what I've been writing lately, I'll tell him "my memoirs."

All dressed up

I picked up the new Patti Medaris Culea book last night from Barnes & Noble, and wasn't I surprised! When I ordered it the day before, they told me it wasn't even coming out until the end of May. At first glance, it looks like a great book, and I hope to make use of it when I get around to making dolls with real arms and legs and not just the pretend kind with the plastic pellets in their behinds.

So I've been trying to finish the red-shoed graduate doll, and for some reason, she just doesn't like wearing that hat! She's sitting on my craft table smirking at me. If she gets more cooperative, she'll be up on ebay tomorrow. I think she'll be happy to leave home.

And just about the same time I was getting attitude from the doll, I got a call from the nursing home with word that dear old dad is acting up. I'm pretty sure I know why. He's not happy, and yelling and calling names and swinging his arms at those who care for him is about all he can do to show his displeasure. The nursing director and I had a conversation in which we discussed options, and she suggested that maybe a good scolding from me would help. Well, since my dad doesn't hear well, I suggested maybe an email would be more effective. She agreed.

So I wrote the email, trying to word it carefully so as not to totally offend him and make him see me as the enemy too. And I couldn't help but feel like I was writing to my 10-year-old child who had misbehaved at summer camp. No ice cream for dessert tonight Dad!

Having a plan

Sometimes I have an idea for a doll when I'm somewhere other than near my sketch pad. In fact, that's mostly the way it happens. And since I'm not one to handle my mail right away, I usually have an envelope nearby. Some of my best ideas have started on envelopes.

Here is my idea for the ladybug doll , along with a graduate standing on her head. I thought it would be cute to put some painted shoes on the ladybug with some bead embellishment. And maybe a ruffled collar of some kind, similar to a clown doll, but in something more frilly. I have an idea for the shape of the wings, but I'm not sure what I'll make them out of. A dive into the fabric stash is in order. I'm sure I have something.

So the graduate in pink sneakers will be going out to California. It's probably no surprise. You know how those Cali folks are......with their reputations for being a little off-the-beam and laid-back and all. Well, I should know, don't you think. I haven't been gone that long. I hope I get some feedback from the buyer about where Miss Pink Shoes will end up. I always enjoy hearing the stories, but of course I won't press.

Now that BCG is about to wear her cap and gown and go through all the pomp, I kinda wish I'd done the same. I dropped out of college in the 60's and didn't return until the 90's. I was considered a "non-trad" which is what they call old ladies who go back to school. It gives one an interesting perspective when one is the oldest student in the class, not to mention older than most of her professors. I attended part-time for 3 years, did well, and graduated with honors......but I skipped the graduation ceremony. I wasn't sure I wanted to be sitting with all those kids who were young enough to be my own. I didn't want hubby to have to miss work, or for my kids to miss their own classes. And I hate traffic. There would certainly be plenty.

Now I'm sorry I didn't rent my own cap and gown and go through all the pomp and circumstance. It would have been a nice finish for an accomplishment several decades postponed. Besides......there might have been a party!

Red Shoes

I had put the second graduate doll aside while I waited to see what sort of response the first one would generate on eBay. You may remember, it's the one with the pink high-top sneakers. There would be no sense working away on this one if the other one wasn't flying off the auction block. As of last night I had a bid, so now I'm feeling more enthused about Number 2. She'll have red shoes, red finger nail polish and a red "2006" embroidered on her scarf. Just enough red, I think. Who knows, she may grow up to be a Red Hat Lady....

And speaking of that, I found out this weekend that the people who publish the Chicken Soup books are going to do a new one about Red Hat Ladies. I've decided to submit a story for consideration, based on the experience of one of my friends who is a recreation director for a local nursing home. Always interested in looking for ways to enhance the lives of the residents, she decided to start up a Red Hat group. She put the word out, and got a tremendous outpouring of support. I think it's worthy of a write-up.

So hubby's out looking for a good deal on a GPS system for the car. Men will do just about anything to avoid having to ask for directions. I told him I was neutral on the whole thing. And if it requires technical know-how to operate it, I might not be the appropriate navigator. By the time I find my reading glasses and figure out which button to push, we'll be past our turn-off and he'll be just as upset with me as if I had mis-read a map. My friend has one that talks to you. If you take the wrong road, it tells you in a nice way. I might be able to go for that. And then maybe it could immediately lead you to the nearest Baskin Robbins so you could get a cone with a double scoop of Rocky Road and feel a whole lot better about how modern technology is improving our lives.....