Nothing-much Thursday

Yesterday I painted my paperclay pumpkin head and I have to admit I'm not overly thrilled. He may not make it to the finished-doll category. I'll check with Silly Milly. Maybe she'd like to adopt him.

He was a good learning project though. If I decide to make another one I'll try a different approach. The pumpkin heads I've made with instant mache are easier to work with and have a much nicer pumpkin-like texture.

I'm a little happier with my witch head.

I painted her celery green....which you can see around the edges and on her ears....and then I toned it down quite a bit. I'll do a little more touch-up painting, but I kind of like the rustic look. I can visualize her with a smaller hat than the other witches wear, and stringy hair with lots of ear stick-outedness.

Dear ol' dad's fig tree is starting to produce, and I enjoyed the first fig of the season today. Here's the second one--just daring the birds to peck it to shreds.

Dear ol' dad was a great fan of figs, and he had the gardeners plant a fig tree just outside the sliding door. That way he could reach out and grab one quickly on those frigid 55-degree days. I remember visiting him in the nursing home and how excited I was to have fresh figs to take along as a special treat. After a week of everyday figs, he smiled and said that maybe he'd had his fill of figs.

Yesterday, I went to see the new movie Julie and Julia and enjoyed it very much. But why must the coming attractions be so loud? I think I've finally decided to invest in some of those ear protectors the guys at the airport wear. Not only will they be handy for movie-going, they will also protect me from the ever-present annoying cell-phone talkers. Not to mention, those boring folks at the condo association meetings.

The newspaper still has not published my article. I'm giving them 3 more days and then I'm going down there and roll a few heads.

The ants are relentless. Did you know that if you leave a little shrimp tail on the counter four battalions of ants will gather in the blink of an eye? How embarrassing to admit that the ants have made me a better housekeeper.

Well, I guess that's enough excitement for a Thursday. Be sure to check back tomorrow. It could turn out to be Finally Something Interesting Friday.

Clay play day

Recently I've been inspired by the work of some very talented clay and paper mache artists whose blogs I've been reading. My first foray into the world of paper mache was about a year ago when I created Petunia from a plastic apple juice jug. She was far from perfect; she had cellulite issues.

Next, I took an online class with grittyjane which resulted in these two beauties. Well, except for the eyes that didn't quite match.

Then I crafted a witch head out of clay and used it on one of my own handmade dolls. After that....well....maybe we shouldn't mention Silly Milly.

Lucky for me there was just enough paperclay left to play with, although I did have to chase a couple of ants out of the bag. Those little devils. My first experiment was a pumpkin head.

....and then I attempted another witch head.

There will be no gossiping in the Treehouse when she's in residence. She'll be all ears.

And speaking of gossiping....not that I am one to gossip... When the neighbor ladies were over for dinner the other evening, Mr. Gadget and I got an earful. And I'm thinking now might be a good time for me to approach the condo board of directors and ask them to consider imposing a few new rules. I would be more than happy to type up a list suitable for posting.

• Please bring your own towel to use after showering at the gym. Using paper towels to dry your entire body is wasteful. We do have a strict budget.
• If you have a grievance, please take it to a board member. It is strictly prohibited to express your displeasure by dumping garbage on the golf course.
• Ladies are forbidden to color their hair in the sauna.

Oh, and that hair lady? When someone spoke to her about it, she said there were no signs saying she couldn't. Mr. Gadget and I just love condo living. It's kinda like being on a cruise where they throw in the entertainment for no extra charge.

Dinner party

I gave my sewing machine and embroidery needle the day off yesterday and turned instead to kitchenly things. So unlike me. I'm not a big fan of cooking. But Mr. Gadget and I wanted to invite the neighbor ladies over for dinner, as a friendly gesture, and to thank them for keeping an eye on things here at the Calcondo when we're not here.

We decided it would be Italian night, since I have a few pasta dishes I can make with confidence. The first course was an antipasto.

See there, over on the right? That's not an errant olive. That's a quarter. This was one big antipasto. I tried to find a local deli where I could order one ready-made but was unsuccessful. They were either too big, too small, or too pathetic. So I bought the ingredients and added my own roasted red peppers--my late mother-in-law's recipe. Well, no, not exactly. She didn't have recipes. I learned from watching her, and now I don't have recipes of my own.Next came the stuffed shells--another dish from my non-recipe file. Part of my secret is the special bottled sauce. No sauce-from-scratch for me. All the work involved would take away from precious crafting time. You can see the ladies were small eaters. They were ever-so-courteous to leave Mr. G and I some left-overs for tonight. I've already revved up my sewing machine.

Next up was my special blueberry cheesecake. How simple could it be? I already had a nice piece of blueberry-colored fabric, and no baking was involved.

I'm just kidding. There was a real cheesecake, made from my sister-in-law's recipe....sort of. I may have tweaked it a little. I like a nice substantial graham cracker crust, so I added more crumbs. Then I added some melted butter, as called for, plus a nice big spoonful of brown sugar. This cheesecake is so good that everyone always asks for the recipe. But when I start typing it up, there's a half page of ingredients and a page and a half of tweaks....and I quickly realize it would be much easier just to send them to the fabric store.

Diamond tiara

No? Well it is rather queenly, even in its unfinished state, don't ya think?

It's a good thing I have a spare....for during the construction phase.

Just a short post today, but I'll leave you with something from the Only in California file.

I'm making plans to attend next Sunday. I'm pretty sure they've got donuts!

Obsession: it's not just a perfume

Yesterday Mr. Gadget walked up to the corner drug store to buy a bottle of wine. Medicinal wine. In Connecticut, a person cannot buy wine in a drug store, or a grocery store for that matter. One must go to a package store...on any day but Sunday. But here in Cali, just about anything goes. I knew right away, when he came in the door with a big bag in each hand, that he hadn't exactly stuck to his shopping list. Mr. G can't pass up a bargain.
I was noticing my visor today and realized how like an empty canvas it is. I think it needs some embellishment. I'm sure I have a little something around here....

Earlier today we took a drive up to the botanical gardens--me with my woefully unadorned visor--and strolled around the perimeter. Some thoughtful person had painted a green line for visitors to follow.

While we were there, a large crew was setting up for a wedding, and guests were starting to arrive--including many women wearing saris. As we neared the exit, we noticed this:


We're guessing this is the groom. Not the horse, silly. The guy on the right. And doesn't it look like there's room for two people on that horse? I think the bride and groom will be riding in. Sure beats that long tiring walk down the aisle. I mentioned to Mr. G my fear that this would be another one of those big extravagant weddings that is followed very soon by laundry and vacuuming and the other mundane chores of everyday life. I hope the bride realizes the horse is going back to the stable after the wedding, and hubby won't be delivering her morning coffee on it.

So Tech Guy is home safe and sound and now I can give up my worry knitting. He says he had a great time. I'm sure his late grandfather would have been very proud--world traveler that he was. I like to think he was riding shotgun....

Cow talker

I managed to finish my article and submit it to the local newspaper, and now I'm waiting patiently to see my name in print. Certainly it's just as journalistically sound as the one they published this week....written by a man who talks to cows.

I've been known to talk to cows too, but I'd let one stomp me silly before I'd share that with the entire newspaper delivery area.

Meanwhile, I uncovered my sewing machine (no ants or cookie crumbs) and stitched up a few more witch costumes.

Those bats and spider webs scared the pants off Homer (won on Kathy's blog, along with some sock yarn) so I'm only exposing his decent upper half. I probably should start thinking about snowmen and santas, but I keep seeing cute Halloween prints...you know, when I just happen to be passing by a fabric store.

So yesterday I had my hair cut by my west coast hairdresser. I call her California Clara. It's pretty short and I was a little worried about what Mr. Gadget would say because, like most men, he's a long-hair lover. But he actually told me it was cute....which is not a word Mr. G would use lightly. In fact, it's a word he would use hardly ever.

But Clara and I got into a discussion about technical stuff, and how we are both grateful to have husbands who can program our technical gadgets and troubleshoot when necessary. Not to mention, take care of the technical chores around the house so we don't have to ever be involved. Then I had to laugh and tell her the story of my Grandma Ferna. Her husband, my grandfather, died when she was about 60. She didn't know how to drive or write a check or any of those things. Since we lived close by, the job of teaching her all of that fell to my father--a real saint. I say saint because she had a big ol' Plymouth with a standard shift sitting in the garage, and we lived in a neighborhood with lots of hills. After he finished teaching her how to drive the Plymouth, he taught me how to drive a standard shift VW on those same hills. By the grace of God, he lived to be almost 87.

But my point, and I was working toward one, is that girls of my generation were intent on learning those life skills because, unlike our grandmothers' generation--and to some extent our mothers'-- we were liberated and determined never to be in a position of being dependent on a man.....

So Tech Guy is still traipsing around the country, but I continue to keep my pelican head in the sand. I'm pretty sure my worry-knitting project will see me through the weekend when he is expected to return home. He had planned to head due east from San Francisco early this week, but instead he diverted to Wichita and then back to Atlanta. I guess he figured he still had plenty of clean laundry. I hate to admit it but I've always had a little bit of the enabler in me.

Questions....

Several times a week I walk around the condo complex for exercise. I don't have my usual east coast excuses out west because the days are all sunny, the terrain is flat, and I don't have to steer clear of those construction boys with their toys.

While I walk I think about things...and try to answer questions that pop into my head. For instance, just how high will a palm tree grow?What kind of a bird laid this? Too big for a pelican I think....I wonder if the golfers would mind if I updated the golf course flags? Maybe something seasonal. Do you think it's too early for something with a pumpkin motif?I can't imagine these folks would care if I borrowed their chair for a few days. Maybe they wouldn't even notice it missing. Do you think? I could get lots of knitting done out on my patio. Worry knitting.
Oh look! It's Max's car--our friendly taxi driver. I wonder if he'd have some time to drop us off at the cruise terminal. Never mind.

And last, but not least. Here's the most intriguing question of all.......

How did Bob get here???

Almost a pelican

If you look at the top left, and then just along the sandy beach, you can see the nice photo I took yesterday of almost a pelican. Luckily, Mr. Gadget had his camera.

He got this shot just before a jolly fisherman approached and scared the big guy away. At least he was nice enough to apologize.

Yesterday, Mr. Gadget and I took a road trip to Santa Barbara--about a two-hour drive from the Calcondo. We enjoyed the views and the wildlife, and had a nice lunch overlooking the ocean.

As Mr. G was taking this picture we both pondered why some people have such a bold disregard for the law.

It does seem silly that people can't fish off the pier. Especially if they're ghosts...heh...heh....

Way back eons ago I spent my junior year of college in Santa Barbara....at UCSB. I lived in a dorm that sat on top of a cliff with a million-dollar view. After a tasty dinner in the dining hall, my school mates and I would often take a walk along the beach. We were indeed very lucky to be going to school in such a beautiful place, even though we had no cell phones or computers, and we had to do our term papers on typewriters and talk to our friends on one of those old black plastic telephones with a dial. Oh, and we wore skirts and dresses to class. I told you this was way back.

After a year I got disillusioned with my studies and decided to take a time-out from school. I didn't feel good about my major and it seemed wrong to continue on the track I was on. There may have been a guy involved. They sometimes have distracting ways. But eventually I returned to college to finish my degree. Somehow it just seemed wrong to leave it undone.

I hope you don't mind when I tell little stories like this. They are diversions from craftiness....which I haven't been doing much of lately, but which I will be doing again soon. There has been knitting going on though. You know, worry-knitting. No, I have no idea where TG is at the moment, and it's really better that way. I love nothing more than sticking my head in the sand. I'm like a pelican that way......

TG and the T

Tech Guy and the Tortoise arrived on Wednesday around noon. They were expected a day earlier, but Tortoise had a hankerin' for some gamblin' so they stopped off in Las Vegas.

TG got a lot done during his short visit. He allowed T some grazing time in the grass around the condo.

He offered a special honeydew snack for good car behavior. Never once during their transcontinental trek did T whine, "Are we there yet?"

He walked up to the corner store and carried a watermelon home on his shoulders. T likes watermelon more than honeydew.

He tidied up my computer. He debugged, deleted, destashed, updated, rebooted....and cleared the ants off the keyboard.

He asked if he could do some laundry, and then sweet-talked me into doing it for him. He has way more than just technical skills.

He enviously eyeballed my new gel pens, so I let him play with them in exchange for a blog cartoon.

Then yesterday morning, comfortably after dawn, the two of them rode out of town heading north.....leaving me in the dust with a pile of watermelon rinds and 50% of my worry.

But I have plans to sew because I can sew and worry at the same time. I haven't opened up my sewing machine yet. I hope there aren't any surprises inside, like ants having a quilting bee. I'm pretty sure I cleaned up those cookie crumbs before I left last time....

New Toys

Remember what a great day it was when your mom bought you a brand new box of 64 crayons? Granted, you had plenty of crayons already, stashed in an old shoebox, but they were dull and you couldn't stay in the lines with them. Well, today was another one of those great days.

Of course I had to doodle. Some of them are sparkly too. I sent Big City Girl a picture of my new pens with a "nah...nah...nahNAH nah" note because I know she'll be jealous and sparkly green with envy. I found them at Costco, but your local store many not have them....nah...nah...nah...

So we finally heard from Tech Guy. He was planning to leave Dallas today enroute to our house, via the Grand Canyon.

Tech Guy is a Texas native, so I'm sure he was a little sad about leaving. We were living in a small town in south Texas when he was born. We moved to Connecticut when he was almost two. The only things I remember about living in Texas....well, other than every last detail of his birth....is how big it was, how hot it was, how many mosquitoes there were, and how most of the restaurants in town served BBQ. I was sorry to leave the great friends I made there, but otherwise I was happy to move on.

It will be great to see Tech Guy. Did I mention I worry? I may chain him to the coffee table. Heh..heh... I've straightened up the guest room and I'm assuming the accommodations will be acceptable to both him and his tortoise. TG has already made a special request for a mom cheesecake. I have no idea what Mr. Tortoise will eat. I hope he doesn't expect room service....

Directive from daughter

My birthday card from Big City Girl arrived yesterday. She's big into collage, so usually makes all of her cards....which I love. Here's the front:
Mr. Gadget wondered what her boss would say if he knew she was using the office color copier for greeting cards, but I told him not to worry.....it was stuck-on stuff. Here's the inside:

I've been a little busy the last couple of days working on an article to submit to the local newspaper. I was working on it last time we were in town and never seemed to get it together. Deadlines. Gotta hate 'em, gotta love 'em.

Many years ago I met a woman online through a travel website. I was living in Connecticut and she was out here, in Manhattan Beach--both of our hometowns. We began an email correspondence that continues today and we are continually amazed at how much we have in common. I decided to write about our friendship and submit it to the paper for a column called "My Turn"--for which they solicit articles written by their readers.

So very little crafty stuff has been going on, but I am well underway on another Just Enough Ruffles scarf--this one in red. This is my second attempt. The first one had to be frogged because of a nasty picking-up-wraps issue. But I persisted and mastered the pesky little things. It helps to read the directions.....carefully....with the TV off and Mr. Gadget over in the gym. I can't possibly understand tricky knitting instructions when someone is telling me he can only find one of his three sweatbands.

I do have plans for some angel ornaments that I'm thinking of making out of fabric using a similar technique as for the clay and cloth dolls. I'll be setting up my experimental laboratory sometime early next week. Right after I make another trip to the farmers market. Gotta restock the fruit. I think I'll pass on the cactus this time....

Where's the party?

Mr. Gadget and I arrived safely at the Calcondo on Sunday and found things quiet inside. But last night all Hell broke loose as the ants began arriving--some in party hats and all in colorful costumes. Somehow they had heard that today is my birthday and they were ready to party.

There was profound disappointment among their lot when I informed them there would be no party. In fact, they've dug in their heels and are refusing to leave. So Mr. G and I have taken drastic measures. We went to our neighborhood hardware store to purchase heavy weapons. None of that sissy tear gas stuff either. Tonight, under cover of darkness, and long after the curmudgeons have turned in, we will sprinkle some potent stuff (that's what you do with heavy artillery isn't it? sprinkle?) around the perimeter. There'll be no partying nonsense here.

It's been a quiet birthday so far with a sprinkling of greetings. Big City Girl called to wish me a happy day, and to apologize that my card would be late because it was returned to her with no postage affixed. Tech Guy emailed a youtube video greeting. Somehow he must have mounted his digital camera on his visor, because he wished me happy birthday while driving.....much too fast, in the fast lane, passing big trucks enroute to Dallas. I also received a nice ecard from a high school friend, and a cheery phone call from my cousin. Mr. Gadget gave me a cute card with a clever greeting. Something about me not looking another year older, with a handwritten note saying, "How do you do it?" I'm sure he's hoping I won't heat up the leftovers.

So this morning Mr. G asked me what I'd really like to do for my birthday and I told him I'd really like to take a ride over to the local farmers market. I had a hankerin' for some fresh produce.....

....especially some cactus. While we were walking around, I noticed a clever little gadget I hadn't seen before.

It's a fold-up cart for carrying grocery bags. There's a hook for your bag of tomatoes, a hook for your nectarines and plums, and plenty left over if you decide you need some corn, cabbage or cactus. I'm just supposing that if someone were going to have a birthday party, someone could carry lots of presents home with one of these....

Nostalgia

No, we're not on the left coast yet. Tomorrow's the day. I do enjoy that expression left coast though. Kinda like Cali. Those are mostly right-coasty expressions. Not something you're likely to hear from the natives.

I've been packing my suitcase.....well, maybe just mentally packing. It's still early. I've been gathering my sewing and craft supplies, and later I'll think about clothes. I have my priorities.

Mr. Gadget and I made one last visit to the old house earlier today to partake in a little nostalgia.

We're hopeful by the time we return in late August it will belong to someone else.

This has all happened very quickly and we can't quite believe our good fortune. Sometimes we wonder what sold the place. Was it the location on a cul-de-sac? Was it the nice long driveway with the graveled parking area? Maybe the gazebo or the finished basement?

I like to think it was Toad's House....the old conch shell I decorated and strategically placed in the planter box next to the front door in hopes of attracting just the right buyer.....and the toad I evicted during the shell renovating.

So putting my nostalgic feelings aside for the moment..... earlier today Tech Guy sent me a text message from southern Virginia on the first leg of his around-the-U.S. whirlwind tour. He's decided to spend his 3 weeks of vacation seeing the country. When we expressed concern about this being a solo venture, he assured us that he wouldn't be alone because he was taking his tortoise.

Being the good mom I like to think I am, I worry. His car has seen lots of miles. He never gets enough sleep. Will he stop to rest now and then? It's expensive. But he rarely listens to reason. Especially mine. So I'm trying my best not to worry too much, and to remember that when I was his age I probably considered such an adventure, but stayed home instead where things were safe, and to save my parents sleepless nights. So I say, "Motor on Tech Guy and have a grand time!" Your mother will get over it.

Road trip revisited

So back to last week's road trip to yarn heaven with other Marcia. Sorry, somehow I let poems about pick-up trucks and stories about Mr. Gadget's friendships get in the way. In addition to selecting yarn for another Just Enough Ruffles scarf (the first one modeled so stunningly by Silly Milly with help from a treehouse lamp), I purchased this book:I think I might be inclined to wear one of these roses on a jacket or sweater. Or even a hat. Maybe even an apron or my exercising t-shirt. So versatile. I love that in an accessory.

Maybe I could finally have a nice bouquet of sunflowers that the squirrels and birds won't eat.

I love this one, but I'm not sure I have the skills. It requires crocheting, felting, cutting and assembling. But then again, I do need to set challenging goals for myself and look for new adventures in life.

I'm not sure about this. I think I'll skip this page. Unless BCG thinks it's big-city chic, and then maybe I'll teach her how to crochet....

So there's lots going on lately, some of which is causing me worry. I've asked Mr. Gadget when he thinks we'll have a worry-free life and he can't tell me. I suspect, but I can't be certain, that life is just a series of worrying times followed by non-worrying times. Fortunately I have a means of coping. Shall I knit or crochet? Shall I make dolls or shop for doll fabric? Maybe I should start a new embroidery project? Oh, the stress. Will I ever be free of the stress?

Poem of the day

So much depends

upon

a red pick-up

truck

glazed with

sun

beside the white

sidewalks

(with thanks, and apologies, to William Carlos Williams)