Finished objects

The green sweater is done. And best of all, it fits. This is not always the case when I knit something to wear. Mostly I end up with the sleeves too long. But these are just the right length. I'm going to make a note of the measurement.....and hope I remember where I put it when I get ready to knit something else.

The tiger scarf is also complete. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite hide the turkey neck as I had hoped. Maybe if I tie it in a big bow... I think it will look especially nice with my black shirt. And if I wear it at night, maybe no one will notice the little mistakes....or the neck.

In a couple of hours I will have finished another project--a big pot of split pea soup. Mr. Gadget and I are quite fond of soup, especially on a day when there's a little nip in the air as there is today. The temperature hasn't managed to get up out of the 60's.

My 15 minutes

Here's Chef Vinny in all of his glory. It's hard to remember what he used to look like in his youth.

Here's the magazine cover, in case you're looking for it on the newstands (after Feb. 1.)

He's on page 79. Take a look at some of the other bottle-doll challenge entries too while you're at it. He's in good company. I'm excited, but trying to keep my exuberance in check so I don't get nuttier than I already am. But, I'll admit, I have been trying to figure out how to affix the magazine to my keychain so I can take it along with me everywhere I go...

Meanwhile, in a section I will be calling News from the Neighborhood, workers have been replacing a roof on one of the condo buildings down the street. Before we arrived there was a fire. From what we heard--from our plumber, Gary, who knows everything--someone was melting cheese in their microwave and hit 3 minutes instead of 30 seconds. G the P (as Gary is known on his license plate) said that in the last several years there have been 3 fires in the complex--all started in microwaves. So, I'm thinking it might be wise when elders give up their licenses to drive, they should also give up their microwaves.

I'll have a few finished items to show you soon, including the earthquake bird who now has legs and is, thankfully, still standing.

Strike up the band!

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

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

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.....

....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

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!

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.