Staff meeting

I'm back in the Treehouse after yesterday's long day of travel.  The trip was fairly uneventful--with us in our usual seats 17A & B--except for the couple sitting in 16A & B.  Mr. Gadget and I always sigh with relief when we notice there are no crying babies in our vicinity.  Little did we know just how annoying grown adults could be.  But anyway...

As you can see, I brought the earthquake bird back with me.  He was really kind of a good-for-nothing out in California.  He never toppled over, so I never knew when there was an earthquake--even though there were swarms of them this visit.  Being a native Californian as I am, I don't find earthquakes to be particularly newsworthy, but still....I hate to be the last to know.  Earthquake bird will have an easy life back here.  There will be nothing for him to do except attend the occasional staff meetings.

So now I have to get busy and work on a few things for the Columbus Day weekend craft fair at the old hotel.  I have a few things in the works, including some small paper mache witches.  I also have lots of crocheted flowers ready for felting....which Mr. Gadget cheerfully agreed to bring back in his suitcase.  We always have interesting things in our suitcases for the trips to and fro....leftovers from the kitchen, books, electric toothbrushes, computer parts, yarn, and this 'n that.  In fact, I asked him today if he thought an ant could have snuck in.

Tomorrow I'll rejoin the condo craft group that meets Thursday afternoons.  The ladies seem happy that I'm back.  In fact, they tell me there will be cake to celebrate.  Not as thrilled are our next door neighbors, who haven't spoken to us for well over a year--except for a very brief expression of sympathy. They will, no doubt, remain steadfast. Condo living can be very interesting indeed.  I'd better just leave it at that.  I've been catty enough lately....

In honor of Kathy W.

This post is dedicated to Kathy W.,

my most loyal reader and commentor.

Kathy and I went to high school together. 

She dated my boyfriend--after he dumped me.

But I've never been bitter.

I haven't been very good about responding 

to Kathy's questions in the comments.

So I thought....what better way than

devoting a post to the task.

By the way Kathy, your reunion pictures

were the best of the lot.

Far superior to all those tree shots.

So now on to Kathy's questions.

Only 2 condo buildings will be tented.

We have the most determined termites.

The earthquake bird is still standing--

even through the recent swarm.

I believe I've made him sturdy enough

to withstand a 7.0

I haven't seen Danny Deckchair, but I've

read that it was inspired by

Larry Lawnchair.

I would be happy to be lifted up by balloons

in any kind of a chair that would

take me away from the ants.

On the subject of centipedes,

they have a very painful bite.

According to Wikipedia,

"they are very scary to humans

due to their dozens of legs

moving at the same time,

and their tendency to dart swiftly

out of the darkness

towards one's toes."

Let's get together next time I'm in town.

Let's invite the Judith too.

We'll have coffee or burgers.

And thanks for being my one special commentor--

among the vast number of lurkers.

But I'm not bitter about that either..

Drum roll please!

He's finally finished, and I'm much happier with the black and white.

He needs a spray coat of sealer, and then he'll be ready to go into a box for his trip to the east coast.

It was a long slow slog, but I'm fairly happy with the result.  He will sit in our entry way at the Concondo, and I'm considering sewing him a wardrobe of bowties for all of the holidays.

Now, I'm ready for a cat nap.

Skid marks

I've come to a screeching halt.  I'm not real thrilled with the cat and I'm cogitating.

He's going to need lots more work on his stripes, and I don't know if I'm up for it.  Last night I dreamed about how much easier it would be to paint a black and white cat.  Maybe with some white on his face and down his chest.  Maybe some white on the end of his tail, the tips of his ears, and his feet.  It sure would be nice to have him done, and on the quick.  I've been catting around too much lately.

So tonight Mr. Gadget and I are having the neighbor ladies over for dinner.  We do this just about every time we're here because we like to thank them for keeping an eye on things here at the Calcondo when we're gone.

I'm making Italian food.  It's easy to make ahead, and just about everyone likes it.  So we'll have some stuffed shells, a mozzerella-tomato-basil salad, a roasted red pepper salad, and some garlic bread.  Dessert will be homemade chocolate chip cookies arranged on a plate with some delicious toffee candy we found at the farmers market.

On Tuesday we'll be heading east, but before we go we'll need to prepare for termite tenting and fumigation.  The whole process will begin right after we clear out of town.  This involves double-bagging food in the cupboards, doing the same for food in the fridge, and leaving all cupboards, closets and drawers open.  It's a lot of work, and certainly not much fun, but, I've gotta admit, it's much less annoying than getting ready for a colonoscopy....especially one that you may have put off because, really, aren't there a million other things that are much more enjoyable?

Saturday stuff

Nope, I'm not finished with the cat.

I had a bright idea.....I have those every so often....to take a picture of the cat--which is mostly white because that's the color of the dried paper mache pulp.  Then I made a copy of the picture on the copy machine.  Next, I colored some stripes with an orange pencil.  Now I have a half-vast painting plan...

I mixed up more mache this afternoon to use for finishing touches, and I had some leftover so I used it on this:

It's a plastic Coffee-Mate container that I've covered in pulp.  I have a witch in mind, since it's getting up to witching season.  It was so nice of Mr. Gadget to make available his super-sized Marguerita glass for my doll-drying purposes.  Well, maybe he was taking a nap and I sort of borrowed it.  He has a pair so I couldn't foresee an emergency.

And speaking of Mr. G., yesterday he wasn't feeling well.  I figured as much because very soon after he got up he was horizontal on the couch.  He said his back was a little sore and his stomach was upset.  So I did what every good wife would do, I left to have lunch with a friend.  Well, I wasn't a complete jerk--which is what you're thinking, I know.  I brought him a bottle of water, covered him up with an afghan, made sure the phone was within easy reach, and told him to call me if he needed me to come home.  Today he's much better.  That may well be because I wasn't here hovering.

My friend and I usually meet at a mall in west LA.  It's a good midway point.  I always look forward to seeing the latest LA styles and the malls are where they're in full flower.

I just don't get this look, but it's the height of fashion here.  Boots (with socks) and short shorts.  I don't know about you, but in the summer I must let my feet breathe.  I'm all about sandals and letting my toes get fresh air.  I used to believe...in my younger years....that it was much better to look good than to feel good...but not anymore.  I think I was 60 when I came to my senses.  I've even been known to wear the same thing two or three days in a row, but let's just keep that between us, shall we?

I could go on and on but I think I'll just stop right here.  Don't get me started on bra straps.....

Rail and sail

Mr. Gadget and I uprooted ourselves from the couch yesterday and went on an adventure with the condo travel club.  It started out with a short walk down the sidewalk and a bus trip to the train station.  Here's how it went:

All aboard for San Diego.

Some of the scenery along the way.

A donut shop in the small town of Leucadia.

My grandfather was the postmaster there

many years ago.

This looks something like the old p.o. building.

Could it be?

We had lunch at this restaurant.

Can you tell I've just eaten a big, gooey bananas-with-ice cream dessert?

I was charitable and shared it with Mr. G.

We took a harbor cruise.

We saw seals and pelicans and other wild things...

I realized just how out-of-it I am when it comes to hip California apparel.  I need to get out and shop more.

And that's what I did on my summer vacation.

Alone together

Sometimes Mr. Gadget and I go to different movies together.  This always requires careful pre-planning. First, we must find a multiplex with movies that appeal to both of us--an action/adventure for him and a chick flick for me--and ones that start and end around the same time.  Whereas I could occasionally go along with him, in the interest of being a good wife, and pretend to enjoy his choice, it would be more like him having a periodontal procedure to do the same for me.  

So this morning we went to see our respective choices:  Batman for him and Hope Springs for me.  The only problem was that the running time of his was almost 3 hours and mine was just an hour forty.  This could have been a problem if the movie theaters hadn't been in a mall where I was able to spend the extra time browsing in the book store.  But I did kinda wonder how Batman could be that long, so I questioned him about it.

"How could it be that Batman needed all that time to fix whatever he was called on to fix when a couple who've been married more than 30 years can completely transform their relationship in just over an hour and a half?" 

"Well,"  he said,  "sometimes it takes Batman a long time to put on his cape."

"Maybe so," I said, "but there's gotta be more to it than that."

"Oh yeah, I just remembered," he said.  "There was a real long line at the Costco gas station when he stopped to fill up the Batmobile."

A cat tale

Once upon a time there was a cat who didn't really qualify as a full-fledged cat because his creator was having great difficulty getting to "The End" part. 

It wasn't for lack of motivation.  She looked forward to working on him daily. She couldn't blame the cumbersome necessity of having to move him into the back room when it was meal time so she could serve her hubby supper.

It wasn't even the pesky process of mixing the water into the mache--with the dust flying everywhere--once she figured out it made good sense to mix the mess in a ziplock bag. Nor was it the distraction of the Olympics...because she found the TV easy to view from her work table.

The ants can't be blamed either.  They don't care much for paper mache if it's without condiments. It's not the swarm (scientific term) of earthquakes in the area. A little shakin' is never an excuse to lay down on the job.

Since there appears to be no legitimate reason for the cat creator's apparent inability to finish this feline project, it seems her only recourse is to subscribe to the Mr. Gadget Fool-proof Method of Finishing Stuff and call it "good enough."

Wannabes

Here's a lovely bunch of crocheted flowers that wanna be felted flowers, but it's not quite their time yet.  

The Calcondo is overflowing because of all my areas of interest.  It's a wonder Mr. Gadget hasn't left me for another woman--one who is less a crafter and more a housekeeper.

The cat project slogs along.  It's slow-going because of the process of adding multiple layers of gluey paper and waiting for it to dry. 

And then I usually notice an area that needs a little reshaping, so I add more paper and let that dry...and on and on.  Mr. Gadget, who enjoys doing woodworking projects, has suggested I might find it easier to finish my creations by following his model.  When you just can't look at your handiwork any longer, he says, you proclaim it good enough.

I'm using fast mache (paper pulp that's similar to clay) for filling in areas that need it, and for building up the cat's paws.  I like the texture of it and may end up covering the whole thing with a thin layer. 

Will he being worthy of a trip to the east coast to sit under the table in our entry way?  I guess time will tell.  If I do ship him, at least I won't have to buy any  bubble wrap to keep him from bouncing around in the box.  The flowers should do the job nicely.

The buzz at the beach and beyond

This morning Mr. Gadget and I took a ride down to the beach to walk along the bike path.  We never know what we're going to see at the beach. There's usually always a surprise. Today it was someone riding one of these:

Did I ever show you what we saw on the 405 freeway on our return trip from No. Calif. a few weeks ago?

And just today, as I was doing a few dishes at the kitchen sink, I looked out the window and saw........you're going to think I was drinking.....a car pulling a trailer that looked like a hot pink pig.  I know, I know.  It's craziness.  It's California....

So, a quick update on the cat.  There's not much of an update really.  But I did mix up some of the fast mache and glopped it on a few places.

It's great stuff to work with and I might be using it when I get back to the Concondo and need to do some speed-crafting for the old hotel show.

Gotta go now.  It's almost time for the Olympics.  I'm a sucker for those spoiler alerts.  I'm probably the only one...