palm coast art

Today is the deadline . . .

2012-01-31T11:52:00.001-06:00

. . . for me to get my bead soup package out to my partner, Amy, so this will be a short post. Amy and I were paired for Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Party. Click on the pic below to see where it started:

Here's a pic of the "teaser" of the package Amy sent to me. Click on the photo to go to her blog!

The package arrived yesterday, all tied up with a pretty green ribbon and included a sweet personal note from Amy. Here's what I received:

Here's a closeup of the GREAT items I get to work with. I can't wait!

Thanks, Amy, for the pretty pendants, beads and clasp? Many thanks to Lori for all her work in putting this party together! And, incidentally, Lori has a book currently being published by Kalmbach. Here's a pic of the cover, I hope the copyright police don't show up to arrest me for stealing it!

Look for it at your favorite bookstore!

Do you ever think about . . .

2012-01-28T21:04:00.000-06:00

. . . how small our world has become? Advances in technology have allowed us a virtual presence on the other side of the world within seconds. Exotic, faraway places once found only in National Geographic magazine or in movies now appear on our screens in real time. Progress has magnified the relative prosperity Americans enjoy and, by contrast, the extreme poverty, disease and hunger that exist elsewhere.

More affluent nations send troops to aid in struggles moving away from government oppression and toward democracy. Doctors Without Borders sporadically provide health care. Celebrities clean up water supplies and other organizations drop occasional bags of grain where needed. Global reach-out is growing and that’s a good thing, but I believe teaching others to be self-sufficient is more important than these short-term solutions.

Have you considered that there is hunger for more than food? What I’m thinking about is best reflected in a quote we’ve all heard: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” What this suggests to me is that there is a hunger for knowledge, a condition that even the hungriest may not recognize in their lives. Teach a man to build his own shelter, to purify his water, to grow more and better crops, to keep his family healthy. Growing knowledge is the long-term solution.

You and I may not have much in common with some of our neighbors on this planet; what we all share, however, is the human spirit. What happens to the human spirit sitting in the dessert waiting for a bag of food to drop; the spirit of the mother watching her children waste away from starvation or typhoid; the spirits of children whose parents die in their arms from aids? They have no hope, no dreams. Or do they?

What if you, one human, could inspire another? You can. Did you know that? You, one small human being, can assist one small human on the other side of the world in changing his or her future for the better. You can help satisfy the hunger for knowledge by offering LITERACY. Read a child a story and he is entertained; teach him to read (and provide books) and you just might be creating a future world leader. A doctor, a teacher, a builder. An engineer, a farmer, a statesman.

What if you could put a book in the hands of the child who would become the next Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa or Ghandi? You can do this. One person to another. One spirit to another.

Our daughter, Kristen, has a passion for literacy. She visits Zambia every summer, bringing with her teaching skills to share with both educators and parents, as well as reading skills for their children. She also brings books. Hundreds of books. Books that are devoured by hungry eyes. She feeds their knowledge. She feeds their spirits and gives them dreams to dream for the future.

I would SO like for you to watch the following video and look over A to Z Literacy’s website. This is the non-profit organization born of Kristen’s efforts along with the help of many, many other human spirits. You can help. Easily.

Go to A to Z Literacy website!

Taking the journey . . .

2012-01-25T23:16:00.000-06:00

. . . into civilization to procure a pedi for Miss P and some provisions for her as well, we passed by a huge citrus processing plant. Huge trucks full of oranges were lined up, one after the other, waiting to unload their golden treasures. The scent of orange juice was wonderful and inspired this:

Freshwater pearls, crystals and ceramic lemons, oranges and pink grapefruits. Think I'll go get myself a glass of OJ right now!

Bead Soup Blog Party!

2012-01-15T18:30:00.001-06:00

After my recent very enjoyable experience with with Michelle Mach's Secret Snowflake Challenge Blog Hop, I found my way to Lori Anderson's blog and her fifth Bead Soup Party and I was jazzed! So I filled out my application and waited, all the fingers on both hands crossed. The 200 participants were to be chosen from a total of 384 and today when the announcement was posted, YIPPIE, I was included! My partner's name is Amy Freeland. Stay tuned to see what we create when they are revealed on March 3rd!

And while you're waiting, stop by Lori's blog. In addition to her creativity I really love the positive nature of her posts!

Secret Snowflake Challenge . . .

2012-01-15T06:30:00.007-06:00

. . . here's my entry for the Secret Snowflake Challenge. I knew the finished item(s) were to be posted January 15th. I just didn't realize Sunday was the 15th and thought I had till Monday.

Jewelry designer Michelle Mach offered up this challenge on her blog, Beads and Books, last December 23rd.
It's been a while since I entered a challenge -- last time was when Deryn Mentock worked her way through Mary Hettmansperger's book Wrap, Stitch, Fold and Rivet.

Little did I realize how long it had been; here's a link to one of Deryn's November 2008 blog posts featuring one of my entries:

http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/something_sublime_from_th/2008/11/mary-hetts.html

What a great challenge that was! If you really want to challenge yourself, I highly recommend that you get a book like Mary's and work your way through, project by project. But I digress. Back to the current challenge, Michelle Mach's Secret Snowflake Challenge. Here's a photo of the challenge kit contents:

And here are a couple additional photos of my finished entries.

This is part of a Susan Lenart Kazmer clasp. I layered snowflake confetti pieces that came with the kit along with German silver glitter and tiny freshwater pearls in resin.

The real challenge for me was in combining the shades of aqua and blue, something I wouldn't normally do. What do you think?

Secret Snowflake Participants

Please visit the blogs of all the jewelry designers who participated!

Alice (Alice Dreaming)
Chris (beadjewelry.net)
Christa (Adventures of One Beady Woman)
Crystal (Here Bead Dragons)
Cynthia (Cynth's Blog)
Dawn (Morning Glory Beading)
Donetta (Simply Gorgeous)
Erin A.
Jennifer (JenniferJW)
Jennifer (Jewelry, Art and Life)
Kari W. - Coming soon!
Kate (We Can Make That at Home)
Kay (Palm Coast Art) YOU ARE HERE!
Linda (Lindy's Designs)
Lisa C. (A Bead a Day)
Lisa (Inspired Adornments)
Mary (MLH Designs)
Michelle (Beads & Books)
Michelle B. (Reverie & Revival)
Millie (AMM Jewelry)
Norma (Moonlit Fantasies)
Pam (The Crazier Sister)
Pamela - Designs pictured on this page
Rebecca J. - Designs pictured on this page
Renetha (Lamplight Crafts)
Rosemarie (Gem Rose Designs)
Shannon (Falling into the Sky)
Susan (Bead Inspired)
Therese (Therese's Treasures)
Therese (Domestic Goddess Enterprises)

Where messy me creates . . .

2012-01-07T15:12:00.003-06:00

Saying goodbye to 2011 . . .

2012-01-01T19:11:00.002-06:00

. . . was a group activity this year. First, Chef Roland cooked us a most delicious gourmet dinner featuring bacon wrapped filets on the grille and twice baked potatoes. Cassi and Taylor made brownies, from scratch, for dessert.

After dinner we loaded into the car to tour the East Peoria Festival of Lights, always a spectacular experience!

Back at home, some of us snuggled into our jammies. Here are Jim and I with our BFFs Blake and Taylor.

Here's Tay enjoying a pre-toast beverage (non-alcoholic, of course!).

Meanwhile, we passed the time taking these fun photos with my iPad app, Photo Booth. Here's Cassi;

and Heather (with Peanut);

Taylor;

Blake;

And even Tiki got into the act!

We rang in the New Year at midnight with a toast and this lovely photo of yours truly.

HAPPY 2012!!!

Copper . . .

2011-12-27T15:13:00.000-06:00

Copper, Swarovski crystals and coffee quartz.

Etched and domed copper, hand forged ear wires, rubies.

It's over so fast.

2011-12-27T11:28:00.000-06:00

Christmas, that is. I wanted to share just a couple more photos so as to extend the joy for one more day. First, the lovely Linda McCabe (hey, isn't that one of my new leather cuff bracelets she's wearing?) and my lovely husband, Jim, relaxing during the ~~chaos~~ festivities.

Linda's lovely husband John brought delicious rumaki to accompany the many gourmet treats prepared by my sibling, Joy. Diet?? What diet??

A most awesome Scary Fairy ornament from Steve, Jen and Brittany. It's TOTALLY ME!!!

One of my most treasured ornaments ever -- made from Tom's handprint in preschool in 1980. That's his four-year-old hand in my significantly older one.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-22T18:45:00.000-06:00

We've barely been home long enough to decorate the tree, but here it is. I've dug out all of my snowman ornaments including some I made years ago while living in Atlanta. I'd forgotten about those, so finding them was like a pre-Christmas gift.

Getting ready to leave for Chicago for the annual Christmas Eve festivities with the family and we're going to leave this wretched pointsettia home alone -- it can't get much worse, can it?

Also scored the last six-pack of O'Fallon's Cherry Chocolate beer in the city of Peoria. Six of us will be having a treat. To the rest, sorry -- maybe next year!

Merry Christmas to all!

I'm working on . . .

2011-11-30T19:43:00.000-06:00

. . . something new. I saw a leather cuff bracelet some time ago that I really liked and wondered whether I'd be able to make one. We are lucky to have a Tandy Leather shop nearby and I had been in there a couple of times just looking around and thinking "I could never do this." The store manager is a delightful woman named Carmen who knows absolutely everything about working with leather. She set me up with the supplies I'd need for the bracelet and showed me the techniques required.

As I was leaving, I noticed a leather Christmas stocking hanging in the window. Carmen said they'd be having a class the following Saturday morning to learn to make one, so I signed up on the spot. I decided since I had long ago lost the stocking I made for little Tommy, it was high time for him to have a new model. Here's how it turned out:

And here are my first attempts at making bracelets:

Eeek! Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:29:00.000-05:00

In honor of Harry Potter . . .

2011-10-16T14:34:00.000-05:00

. . . here's another one of my pieces featuring and eye. Not just any eye, an OWL eye.

Like the proverbial dirty shirt,

2011-09-29T22:14:00.002-05:00

we're off. Jim and I are off on our trip to pick up our new RV in Fresno. This could seem trivial to many people, but I've not been further west of the Mississippi than Iowa.

We boarded our flight to Dallas from Peoria, IL this morning around 7:00 am. American Airlines, small plane with one seat on one side of the aisle, two on the other. Very cozy. The flight was uneventful, probably because I was asleep for most of it.

After a two-hour layover in Dallas, we took off once again for Fresno. I'm told this is about a three-hour flight; I wasn't really watching the time since I was reading and napping. At some point, a particularly sharp elbow to the ribs jarred me awake and I checked out the view below. I have to say, probably for the first time of many on this trip, that I have never seen anything like this! I love it, I think it's beautiful,

but I suppose it is considered wasteland by some.

Not too long after, an entirely different scene emerged -- the countless fields of California agriculture.

Crops soon gave way to an altogether different kind of growth.

Welcome to Fresno, California.

Did I mention . . .

2011-08-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

. . . that in addition to her intelligence, compassion and wicked sense of humor my daughter Denise is my best non-furry friend?

And she cooks!

Have you ever wondered . . .

2011-07-22T13:17:00.000-05:00

. . . what traveling artists do between shows? Here's a sampling of how they fill their time.

They hang out with their friends.

Make new friends.

Explore new places.

Play in the mud . . .

. . . or relax on the beach.

They catch up on the laundry . . .

. . . and their rest.

And at the end of the day, they return to their home away from home.

Rust Belt Market!!!

2011-07-22T12:40:00.002-05:00

What trip to Michigan could be complete without a visit to the Rust Belt Market? Located in the very charming town of Ferndale, the Rust Belt Market is a super venue for the local art talent. If you're ever in the area, you owe it to yourself to stop in!

Visit the lovely Melanie Brooks of Earthenwood and take home some treasures! I did!

Check out this comfy lounger made of black rubber thingys normally used for toilet tank repairs!

Handmade doll amulets!

Snag some record album bowls for your chips and pretzels!

Stroll around this sweet little town and have a delicious lunch -- so many places to choose from!

Ubiquitous . . .

2011-07-21T12:54:00.000-05:00

. . . is a word I first heard long ago in my first Microbiology class. Roughly translated, it means "found everywhere." The lovely Janet Hill, owner of Free to Bead in Peoria Heights, Illinois, taught me to make this bracelet. Which I now find is "ubiquitous." A quick survey of Etsy.com shows versions of this style available for $3, $390 (yes, that's THREE HUNDRED and change) and the entire range of prices between.

Still, it's a cute style and very "zen" to make. A couple of hours of weaving leather, silk and beads produces a nice little accessory. To do my part in continuing the ubiquitous-ness, I've got my friend Taylor making these as well.

Doing a great job, isn't she?

Here's Taylor with her BFF, Emily. And my BFF, Peanut. To know just how precious this photo is, you would have to been witness to Emily's previous terror of my furry friend. Looks like we've cured that fear, eh?

Who hasn't been to an art show . . .

2011-07-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

. . . and seen plenty of this? Booth after booth of pottery, jewelry, paintings, photography, turned wood, stained glass, and the list goes on.

It's nice to take a break from the talking, showing, selling. I like to get a feel for the locale that hosts the show, and one of my favorites is Plymouth, Michigan. It's such a delightful town and one that I never seem to want to leave.

Lucky us! Our booth is across the street from the Dairy King!

Fascinated . . .

2011-06-30T11:57:00.001-05:00

. . . I am . . . with alligators. This attraction began with our move to Tampa, FL, and the knowledge that I could come upon a gator at just about any time. Not as often as our Midwestern squirrels, mind you, but enough to keep me always scanning my surroundings. This little guy lived in the pond behind our house.

Did I mention I also have a fondness for eyes? I've used them in jewelry before, a fox eye, a bobcat eye. Living in the "heartland" as we do now, I wanted to keep the gator mystique alive. Here are my pieces/parts in progress:

And my finished pendant.

The Fabulous Richard Salley!

2011-06-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I said I was going to get back to blogging. That was six days ago. Unacceptable! Further unacceptable is not posting this earlier on. On June 5th I attended a class taught by the incomparable Richard Salley at Bead & Button in Milwaukee, WI. The class ran from 9 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. and I was busy every minute, including through lunch.

Richard taught many fine techniques including wirework, working with Faux Bone, copper enameling with a torch, etching and soft soldering. Great class. Here's the piece I made. It's a bit edgy and not for everyone but I love it! Thank you, Richard!

I ain't afraid . . .

2011-06-19T13:31:00.000-05:00

. . . of no snakes! We recently had the pleasure of participating in the Snake Alley Art Fair held in Burlington, Iowa during their annual Steamboat Days celebration. Snake Alley is an actual street in Burlington, once recognized by Ripley's Believe it or Not as the "Crookedest Street in the World."

This lovely, historic community is located on the banks of the Mississippi River and is another of my favorite places to visit. The architecture is stately and the gardens are lush. It seems there's a beautiful view around every corner.

The place with, in my opinion, the best view is Martini's Grille. Don't miss it!

Camping with Denise at Lake Wissota, WI

2011-06-17T15:31:00.000-05:00

Who says camping food isn't good? Mmm, spinach salad.

Camp

Forest trees

Forest flowers

Forest butterfly

Who has the time . . .

2011-06-15T17:06:00.002-05:00

. . . to blog? I used to. Seems like facebook has ruined this for me. Not only don't I blog, but some of the other bloggers whose posts I enjoyed following have dropped out as well. Sad, because facebook is SO much less satisfying. A lame comment here, another one there, and I am certainly as guilty as anyone. Who cares that I'm doing laundry? Read my previous blog post and I'm sure you'll find it infinitely more interesting than anything I've ever posted on facebook.

Here's the part that really intrigues me: what the hell am I doing with my time? I don't have time to blog. I blame facebook. But what's really going on? As a jewelry artist wannabe, most of the blogs I've followed belong to, you guessed it, jewelry artists. Andrew Thornton, Jane Ann Wynn, Deryn Mentock, Melanie Brooks, Nina Bagley, to name a few. They're all on facebook and, consequently, none of them has time to blog anymore, right? WRONG. Not only do they create jewelry and/or components for sale, they teach. They travel. They have family obligations, pets to take care of. They sing, they dance, they eat, they sleep (probably not much). They post on facebook AND they BLOG! And they twitter! What am I doing wrong?

Here are links to the blogs of these fantastic artists. I hope you'll take a look. Maybe you'll be inspired to find time to do everything!

http://andrew-thornton.blogspot.com/

http://www.wynnstudio.com/

http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/

http://www.earthenwoodstudio.com/blog

http://www.ornamental.typepad.com/

And did I mention that Deryn now teaches classes online? What a great value! She's a wonderful teacher and her online classes are both informative and fun. You don't have to travel, don't even have to get dressed. I'll be taking one soon and here's the link:

http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/jewelry_works/2011/05/boho-bliss-registration-its-on.html

Meanwhile, if you find yourself with extra time on your hands, could you please send it to me?

You are invited . . .

2011-05-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

. . . to attend the annual Rhapsody In Bloom Art Festival at the Luthy Botanical Gardens located in Peoria, Illinois. The festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 25th & 26th. Take in the art, music and food in beautiful surroundings!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-15T14:37:00.000-05:00

Woo hoo! Spring break at Gulf Shores, AL with our friends the Kelly family and the VanTassels! After an overnight stop in Memphis, home of the BEST BBQ EVER, we headed to Gulf Shores. To get to our beach accommodations we had to take a ferry.

Here's what the GPS looks like when your car is at sea!

The beach was gorgeous, no evidence of an oil spill here!

Those aren't oil rigs out there.

They are collecting natural gas.

The water was mostly shallow close to the beach. Much safer for play.

Seems everyone enjoys the sand bar.

The only possible danger we encountered was a loose croc on the beach!

My BFFs, Blake and Taylor.

The Kellys

Another BFF.

And another.

We're one happy group!

Can't wait till next year!

Happy St. Patrick's Dog!

2011-03-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

You just never know . . .

2010-11-30T17:15:00.009-06:00

. . . what the universe has in store for you. It's supposed to be the last decent beach day of your visit, by normal peoples' standards anyway. So you carry your chair out the boardwalk and arrange it in the sand. You've got your towel, your book, the camera and a couple of beverages. You read a bit and then take a walk up and down the beach to pick up some shells. You settle back into your chair and decide to amuse yourself taking photos of the beggar who's hanging around waiting for a morsel to come his way.

You vaguely take notice of a couple of young women who've appeared up the beach with a handful of small children. Soon they are joined by another young mom with her son and his grandpa. Interesting . . . they're not dressed for the beach and they've brought no chairs, no towels, no coolers. They're just watching the water.

Your attention diverted by watching the humans, you don't notice this until it is right in front of you. A Coast Guard cutter. With a big gun. Cool!

Soon another Coast Guard vessel follows along behind the first.

Hey, wait a minute! What's this? Looks kinda military, eh?

Whoa! Isn't that -- why, yes it is! A submarine!

Do you believe how close they are to the beach?

Incredible, eh? A once-in-a-lifetime happening, I'm thinking. All because we decided to skip doing errands and go to the beach.

You can read more about it on the Military Sealift Command website. Oh, yeah -- the small group of women, kids and the grandpa? Their husbands, dads and son-in-law are on the sub.

A visit from the Keenan boys . . .

2010-08-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

. . . is always welcome. We think the boys welcomed the diversion as well since Mom was in Zambia working on her A to Z Literacy mission. On Saturday morning we walked through the riverfront farmer's market where Cole brushed up on his hula hoop skills; we left with a bag of fresh, ripe and yummy tomatoes -- the kind that actually taste like tomatoes.Following lunch at Old Chicago, the boys opted to visit the Lakeview Museum to view the current exhibit, The Art of the Brick. Go to the website of the artist, Nathan Sawaya, for info on what this former lawyer does with legos!
Of course I forgot the camera and the photo of Cole (above) was the only one good enough to post. Sorry Cade!

After the museum we went to the pool to relax for a bit and then home to cook dinner on the grill.

After dinner we settled down with some icy treats and watched "The Tooth Fairy."

Did I mention there was work on an art project? Much as I'd like to show photos of the resulting masterpieces here, they are hidden away until Mom's birthday.

Thanks, guys, for visiting!

It's been raining Legos . . .

2010-07-01T09:26:00.013-05:00

. . . or so it would seem. Earlier this week I posted a comment on Facebook noting that Lego now makes cool board games which you first build, then play. Of course we had to get one! Blake and Taylor have spent HOURS during their visit playing with vintage Legos courtesy of Denise (thanks again!).Coincidentally, our local Lakeview Museum is currently exhibiting Lego art so we thought we'd take a trip over there yesterday. Here are Taylor and Blake at the museum:

The exhibit is called "The Art of the Brick" by a talented, full-time artist named Nathan Sawaya.

This is entirely made of Legos, including the reflection in the "mirror."
It was difficult to capture in my photo that this dude's head is separated entirely from his neck.
Everything in this photos is made of legos. Yes, even the floor, cabinet and easel.
After viewing the Lego exhibit, we had just a bit more fun at the museum.

Yours truly. Have I ever looked better?

Rhapsody in Bloom . . .

2010-06-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

. . . was the title of the art fest held at our local Luthy Botanical Garden this past weekend. Close to 50 artists exhibited their creations including jewelry, garden sculptures, pottery and many other items. It was hot, hot, hot! Nevertheless, it was a great show where we met lots of nice people, received many compliments and much of our jewelry inventory found new homes. Here's a pretty necklace my sister snagged from Janet of Free to Bead:
Beautiful, eh?

"And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo . . .

2010-06-24T20:44:00.000-05:00

. . . every day you see quite a few." Here are my two visiting monkeys, Blake and Taylor. As a reward for outstanding final report cards, each child was granted his/her own special day. Taylor chose a "pajama day," one of my personal favorites. Together we made jewelry and played Dino-opoly while Blake played "couch potato." Blake chose a visit to the Peoria Zoo on his special day. Here are a few photos!

Who doesn't love an elephant nosed shrew?
Last, but not least, always my favorite -- the meerkat.

More visitors . . .

2010-06-21T18:44:00.000-05:00

. . . during this busy time! Our friends Blake and Taylor are visiting from the Indianapolis area. Since they are used to visiting at our former home in Tampa, it is somewhat challenging to replace the instant gratification we had there of stepping out the door and into our pool. This morning we took a walk to a nearby park and found this cool fort to play in. Unfortunately play was cut short after Blake and a muddy puddle collided; we had to return home to wash everything, including his shoes, and send him to the shower.Later this afternoon Taylor and I spent some time making jewelry. I think she is a natural! She instantly grasped the purpose of different components, i.e. wire guards, crimps, crimp covers, etc.
Here are her first creations. I see more jewelry making in Taylor's future!

On Memorial Day weekend . . .

2010-05-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

. . . we had a visit from kids Kris and Jon (center), Kris' hubby Dave (left), and grandsons Cade and Cole. Hey, no pictures of the boys? Oops!We took a trip to Wildlife Prairie State Park in Peoria, Illinois. This was the first time I've ever been so close to the very majestic bald eagles. Don't they look wise? Maybe like they should be old Supreme Court judges . . .
Among the animals living in the park was a grey wolf pack. Personally, I wish they could roam free. Nevertheless, it was good to see them.
We closed out our trip to the park with a train ride and then it was on to One World for lunch amidst the glorious air conditioning!

It's not often . . .

2010-05-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

. . . that I blog about food, but here's a quick one. Mmmm, strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight.And have you seen this? I picked this up at our local Kroger. McCormick has pre-measured the spices needed for Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes. On the back is a a tear-off recipe card with instructions and a list of other items you'll need, in this case just olive oil, salt, chicken and potatoes.

Bon appetit!

Is there anything . . .

2010-05-23T12:56:00.004-05:00

. . . more joyous than a healthy, new baby? We can't help but smile and be SO happy for our dear friends, Alice and Bob, on the birth of their beautiful baby grand-daughter, Nora, shown here partying down on her one month's birthday.Have you ever seen a prouder Grandpa? I have to believe Nora's birth has opened a chapter in Bob's life that he never expected. That often happens to men who were BUSY, BUSY, BUSY during the birth and childhood of their own kids.
Nora completes (at least for now) the wonderful family of Stacy, Geoffrey and Murray (the dog). We wish every good thing and happiness for all!

Spring has been . . .

2010-05-18T13:48:00.008-05:00

. . .springing up all over the place! Our first look at this 1925 house we bought was last November, long after most blooming had stopped. We didn't really know what we had in the way of landscape plants till recently. Perhaps the best of what we inherited are the magnificent peonies. I have loved them all my life but haven't lived with them in my yard since childhood. Here's what we've got:

The lovely lilacs came from the neighbor's yard.

Here are a couple we've picked up at the nursery: good old standard petunias;

weigela, Jim's favorite flowering shrub;

and a hanging fuschia. Have you ever seen one so beautiful?

The quest . . .

2010-05-07T09:20:00.001-05:00

. . . for serenity has been a recurring theme in my life for these past fifteen years or so. Sometimes the need for a bit of peace escalates and makes me want to throw my arms up over my head and yell "Serenity NOW!"

who have hobbies may have a better way to settle their souls and I think that's what jewelry making does for me; it puts me in a 'zen' kind of place. Yesterday was that kind of a day and here is the result:

Wire wrapping each bead to form the chain, hand forging the clasp, making the charm holder and coiling wire around it, stamping SERENITY on the flat piece of silver -- yes, all of this takes time. It's worth it, though, because the work helps me get to my "happy place" and when I'm finished for the day I have created something that I hope will bring calm and solace to the person who will wear it. I've invested my own energy, my serenity, into each piece.

A slow, sputtering start . . .

2010-03-13T13:31:00.004-06:00

. . . just like the neighbor's car I hear being worked on each day. With our vagabond lifestyle of the past few years now over (hopefully) it is time to settle in and get back to reoring balance to our lives. My etsy shop has been "on vacation" for a while now and although I've produced a couple of new pieces, the lovely ladies of our local Moondancer boutique (formerly Simply Everything Boutique) have very kindly allowed me to exhibit them in their wonderful shop and poor little etsy remains empty for now. Please pardon the photography, my "model" needs a new shirt . . .When you're off to a slow start, there's nothing slower than hand knotting. The three-strand necklace above includes peridot, rainbow moonstone, freshwater pearls and 24k gold plated Czech glass all hand-knotted on silk. Combined with gunmetal chains and a sterling silver dragonfly, it's romantic, don't you think?

Here's one I made just for me. I have been hoarding the antique key with lampwork for some time now. Happily, the universe has worked as it always does, on its own time. It sent Heather to me with gorgeous faceted citrine nuggets, answering my need for something special to go along with the key. Like it? Too bad, it is mine, all mine.

And back again to the hand knotting, here are some big, juicy, faceted blueberry pearls knotted on silk along with Swarovski crystals. I've added my handmade gunmetal chain with sparkling midnight blue crystals.

Sputtering and slow maybe, but it's a start, right?

Having a hard time . . .

2010-02-26T16:15:00.003-06:00

. . . getting with the blogging program. While trying to re-establish the habit, this is all I could come up with for today: photos of our new old kitchen. Boring, I know. Just thought some of you would like to see where we're living these days.

To blog . . .

2010-02-01T13:35:00.015-06:00

. . . or not to blog. That has been the question on my mind for some time now. Although Facebook has proven to be a HUGE time suck, it seems to be where the action is. I've finally made the decision, though, that this is where I prefer to keep up with friends and family and so I've dived into the blogging waters once again after an over-3-month's absence.

Where've I been? After weeks of packing up and listing our Florida house for sale I returned to central Illinois to begin serious house-hunting. Jim is still gainfully employed there and I have become comfortable within the art community. We loved our sweet little rented house but decided permanent residency required something a little larger and less expensive.

Found a sweet little Craftsman-style bungalow on a quiet street of well-maintained 1920s homes. A one block long, a dead end boulevard, it is an entire neighborhood unto itself.

It's a cozy, sunny little home with wonderful features of its era and not just a few quirks as well. We are looking forward to making it our own.

To that end, I have come to Indianapolis to nanny the children of our good friends Kevin and Tracy so that Kevin can fly to Tampa to assist Jim with the final move.

The good news is that despite the very poor real estate market and depressed economy our lovely Florida home has been sold. I won't miss the climate but there are still good friends there:

And of course I will miss our awesome pool!

Other things I will miss include the delectable works of talented sushi chef and owner of Kaisen, Ryo:

The awesome storms:

And Florida's special wildlife:

Finally, in the end it is as Freddy Mercury once sang: "Show must go on." Here begins yet another act.

Happy 10th Birthday . . .

2009-10-13T12:41:00.002-05:00

. . . to my artist friend, Grandson Cade Keenan! Cade is a Cub Scout, thespian, artist, baseball player -- an upcoming "Renaissance Man!" Happy Birthday, big guy!

Happy 12th Birthday . . .

2009-10-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

. . . to the beautiful Brittany! Sorry the photo isn't newer -- lost alot in our recent hard drive crash! Jim, Peanut and I hope you have a wonderful birthday and an even better year ahead!

After six weeks of hard labor . . .

2009-10-05T14:31:00.003-05:00

. . . I have apparently given birth to a very large lazy. I have not exercised, have lived on Halloween candy and cherry coke, too much TV watching and WAY too much playing Mafia Wars on the worst time-suck ever invented, Facebook.

My creativity has been limited to a little knitting. I have not spent more than a few seconds in my studio; it is going to take a real block of time and effort to get it straightened out first, but I'm so busy feeding and diapering the new lazy.

Jim is as well as can be expected since we now each have a lazy of our own.

I'd like to thank Heather and Susan for all their efforts to save me from myself over the past couple of months. And much gratitude to Joy for saving me an additional three hours of driving after having wrestled the land yacht 17 hours + from Tampa to Illinois. And she brought me gifts! Now THAT'S a sister.Hopefully I am on my way to recovering and will birth some energy and creativity soon.

Who . . .

2009-09-28T17:20:00.002-05:00

. . . shares her birthday today with Gwyneth Paltrow and Mira Sorvino but is prettier? With Janeane Garolfalo but is funnier? With Bridgette Bardot but is hotter? Smarter? More creative? The best niece a person could have?

Yes, it's HEATHER!

Adventure - Day 2

2009-09-22T19:50:00.008-05:00

Heather and I have just finished day two of our "adventure," driving our RV up from Tampa, FL to Illinois. We took a little side trip while looking for a place to hole up for the night and ended up 2800 feet up the Appalachians. We opted not to stay up there since it seemed a little too "deliverance" for two women and a tiny dog. And since we were lucky enough to find a place to turn around we don't have to live out our lives up there. On the way down we took a few photos for your entertainment and we hope you appreciate that there is no evidence of vomit from those who are height-sensitive.

HE went to Jared.

2009-08-30T19:28:00.002-05:00

And so did I. Today. Love to make jewelry, yes. Love to wear it? Not so much. In fact I often wear the same pair of earrings for weeks on end. Whatever I wear out usually comes off the instant I'm in the door, right after the shoes.

Today, however, I needed to make a little visit to Jared. Or rather, I have a ring that needed to make a visit for a six month inspection and cleaning. And a pendant that needed cleaning. And an omega that needed fixing. Got to wonder about all this fixing and cleaning for jewelry I don't wear, eh?

Anyway, my BFFFF and I went to Jared today to take care of business. It's the only retail store I know of where Peanut is not only welcome but fussed over as well. Yeah, and there's Petco and Petsmart. But back to Jared . . . I've always thought they had the best and most beautiful of the unusual, fabulous items not to be found in a mall store. And today was no exception.

While waiting for my items to be cleaned I found a group of items to be drooled over and maybe to die for. They are part of the LeVian collection stocked by Jared and probably my most favorite pieces. Today I discovered the "chocolate diamond."

Maybe the rest of you are familiar with these but, hey, I don't get out much. Not a shopper. But when it comes to high quality "chocolate," I'm THERE. Here are a couple of the treats I found irresistible: The watch "bezel" is two entire rows of chocolate diamonds. $2,495. Worth every penny. And this necklace:

a wonderful chocolate South Seas pearl entrapped in a squiggle of chocolate diamonds. Oddly strung on 15 cents worth of cord, but what the heck, still worth its $899 price tag in my book. Honey? Are you reading this?

2009-08-29T14:37:00.001-05:00

This was the quote of the day today on our Excite.com homepage. It pretty well sums up the lessons I've been learning of late:

Life's about friendships, the way you love your partner, the way you care for your children. That is what life is about. Not anything about earning a hundred zillion dollars because you toured America more than anyone else. I want life to be about creativity.

-- Joe Strummer, former lead singer for the Clash rock band.

That's no fake snake under the rake . . .

2009-08-25T13:28:00.006-05:00

. . . or why I don't garden in Florida. If you're on Facebook you may have already seen much of this content. If not, this is especially for you.

Pygmy rattlesnake bites man mowing lawn Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Lutz -- A pygmy rattlesnake bit a man who was doing lawn maintenance in Lutz Wednesday. He was working in a yard off Lutz Lake Fern Road when the snake latched onto his foot and injected him with venom. This is the 9th venomous snakebite that has been treated at UCH in a few months.

Some people think snakes are fun:

It's snake, rattle and hole at Pasco County festival
PASCO COUNTY -- It's snake, rattle and hole at the rattlesnake festival that takes place Oct. 20 and 21st in Pasco County, FL. The 41st annual Rattlesnake ...Festival in San Antonio started out in the 1960s as a rattlesnake round-up, but has evolved into an eco-friendly lesson about Florida's wild history.

Others, not so much:

Mother faces charges in python strangling case
OCALA - The question of accountability for the death of a 2-year-old Sumter County girl strangled by the family's pet python remains on the table.
Prosecutors met Thursday at the State Attorney's Office to determine whether or not to file charges in the case that garnered international attention.
Almost a month after a Burmese python strangled Shaiunna Hare, 2, at her Sumter County home, prosecutors said they have some unanswered questions about the case.
Earlier this month, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said it was possible that both the little girl's mother, Jaren Hare, 19, and her fiance, Charles Jason Darnell, 32, could face child neglect charges.

Hurricane's a comin'!

2009-08-19T20:43:00.003-05:00

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes of Golden Girls.

One of the things I will miss when we no longer have our home in Florida is the dramatic weather. The skies are amazing, the LOUD cracks of thunder would cause even Superman to dive for cover and the lightning! Oh, the lightning! There's no other place to see lightning like Tampa.

Sorry about the little dots on the photo, it had just begun to rain. Leaving the weather and the pool -- heartbreaking!

...NEWS YOU CAN USE...NEWS YOU CAN USE...

2009-08-17T12:50:00.006-05:00

Hello! Here's the latest from Tampa where it's 91 sunny degrees, 97 heat index. More weather later. And now here's international news:

Human Rights Watch: Iraqi gays tortured and killed
Monday, August 17, 2009

"Social cleansing" is going on in Iraq supposedly due to a youtube.com video showing Iraqi men "partying." Correct me if I'm wrong, but have we ever heard mention of Iraqi women being invited to the party? Care to read more?
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/8/17/509279.html

'Deadliest Catch' stars help out charity event
Sunday, August 16, 2009

Jonathan and Andy Hillstrand of the Time Bandit were in Bradenton on Sunday. Damn, I missed seeing them. I heard they are introducing a new Bloody Mary called "After the Storm." More:
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/8/16/509236.html?title=

Thai elephant hurt by mine gets artificial leg
Saturday, August 15, 2009

Here's one for you animal lovers: http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/8/15/508834.html

And now, the weather.

Bill upgraded to hurricane; Claudette moves inland
Monday, August 17, 2009

Check out this website for awesome satellite photos and more:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/index.shtml

And, finally, the OCD Cleaning Woman continues her tasks in Lutz, FL. We hear she has spent so much time standing in bleach and other chemicals while cleaning the tub and shower that she has the cleanest feet in the universe.

Things I'll miss . . .

2009-08-13T14:26:00.003-05:00

. . . afternoon rain that fills the pool.

Things I won't miss -- especially my coyote jacket -- twelve bags of clothes from my closet!

A prize catch . . .

2009-08-12T09:46:00.002-05:00

. . . is a good way to characterize my husband. Here he is holding onto the tail of a sailfish he caught off the Florida keys a couple of years ago.
Today marks fifteen years of marriage to my beautiful Jim, the kindest person I have ever known, and I thank him with my whole heart for his unwavering and unconditional love. Throughout the trials and tribulations he has remained loyal and committed and I have not appreciated him nearly enough. Did you ever know that he's my hero and the wind beneath my wings?

Yippee!

2009-08-07T13:01:00.007-05:00

Hi, Peanut here. Mom is busy packing so I wanted to help her out by adding this post to her blog to let you know we're going on vacation.

Today we're leaving to go to our Florida home for a while. I am so excited that I will be reunited with my little lizard friends that I love to play with! My house in Tampa has a doggie door so I can go outside whenever I want! I really like to lay on the screened "lanai" when it's sunny and very hot -- and the screen keeps the alligators from getting me.

Along the way we'll get to visit our good friends Alice and Bob in Atlanta where Mom and Dad used to live. I really like it there because Alice and Bob spoil me even more than Mom and Dad. And then when we get to Tampa I will get to visit with my good friend Ava while Mom and Dad catch up with their friends, Carrie, Andrew and Caden

While we're in Florida Dad will clean up the landscaping so I can more easily see the neighbors and bark at their every move. Mom will go out with her friend Susan for really good sushi and will bring me a little bit as a special treat.

What would you wear . . .

2009-08-03T10:17:00.004-05:00

. . . to the end of the world? And I don't mean the other end, I mean the FINAL end. Watched "Knowing," a fairly new Nicholas Cage movie, last night. To cut to the chase, Nick and another single parent find themselves running around like headless chickens trying to save their children from THE END. It seems a very pesky solar flare is about to destroy the earth's ozone layer and will "kill every living thing" on the planet. Nick and the woman seem to think they can hunker down in some local cave and maybe have a chance at survival. The children, a boy and girl, each about ten years old, just kind of follow along like little zombie kids. Here's the trailer:

So here's my question: following the scorching of the earth by the giant solar flare, what are these people to do when they finally deem it safe to leave the cave? My best scenario, which I've thought about for a really long time, is they have to break into the local Walgreen's. They may be able to find some Coke and chocolate bars that haven't been destroyed. They could play a couple of games, read a magazine and try on different colors of nail polish. When they've had enough, they could climb over the remains of the pharmacist and find enough drugs to bring about their own peaceful ending.

To me, it would make more sense to heed the warnings by partying large. How about you? Leave a comment, tell me what you would do if all life on earth would end tomorrow. And I'll email the uplifting end of the movie to you, in my own words, of course.

Getting ready . . .

2009-08-02T17:45:00.003-05:00

. . . for our trip to our Florida home. Getting the 17 hour drive over with is the WORST! Not sure how creative I'll be while I'm there since my tools and most of my materials and supplies are here in Illinois. I'll be taking my jewelry with me so that I can continue to ship Etsy purchases, so that's a good thing. Just listed a few new items to my Etsy shop and here's my favorite for today:

To clarify . . .

2009-08-01T15:33:00.002-05:00

. . . yesterday's post says the small ceramic pieces are my first. Actually my first piece was created in my class and because of its size I couldn't fire it at home. The small pieces posted yesterday are my first fired at home. Today I picked up my first piece ever, made in the class, and here it is:

So if it works on disks . . .

2009-07-30T17:47:00.001-05:00

. . . why wouldn't it work on wire? At least that was my thinking. Always trying to push the envelope. Here's a scan of the product of my latest light bulb moment:

No time for photos, gotta run!

The Further Adventures of the ADDA

2009-07-30T14:56:00.004-05:00

Yes, the ADD artist strikes again. My long-suffering spouse and close family members know that I have been taking several classes these past six months at our local art guild. First there was the encaustics class. Finished two pieces and dropped out, it just wasn't my thing. Have since donated whatever supplies I had to neighbor Amy.

Some time ago I posted the first of my lost wax casting foray. Not done posting about that one yet, but today is not the day. Then there was the fabrication class. Have to write a post about that one as well. Again, not today.

Today I am much too excited about the results of my pottery class. Several people asked whether I was making pots or other containers on a wheel. No, I wasn't interested in "throwing," as it's called. Maybe another time. This time I wanted to work in porcelain and make a few personal trinkets and some pieces for jewelry. I have a few larger items in the works over at the guild; one in the kiln and two that still require glazing and a final firing.

Our instructor, the very knowledgeable and talented young Jacob Grant, has provided me with a firing schedule for finishing small pieces at home in my glass kiln (it doesn't get hot enough to fire the larger items). I just brought my first few pieces up from the kiln and I'm pleased with the way they turned out:

Please keep in mind that they are a bit dusty and that the photo doesn't capture the gloss finish on all the pieces. The teardrop shapes are also not quite finished, more on them later.

The beautiful thing . . .

2009-07-29T15:30:00.002-05:00

. . . about being an ADD artist is that I've amassed a rather large collection of tools, supplies and materials. What this really means is that when I decide to try a new and different (for me) technique, I often already have most of what I need. I've been wanting to try enameling on metal for quite a while and recently moved forward by purchasing a sample set of enamels. With a viable soldering station at the ready and plenty of copper sheet and wire, I could get started.

Although I often think I'm the laziest person in the world, I'm beginning to see that at least some of the time it is more a matter of my not being patient. My excitement on receiving the tiny jars of enamels was somewhat tempered by the fact that they have to be "cleaned." Enamels are powdered glass which, due to the manufacturing process, come to one in an ever-so-slightly contaminated state. They have to be dumped into larger containers, each color by itself, and mixed with distilled water. The enamel particles fairly rapidly settle what are called "fines" suspended in a now milky-looking water. This water is poured off into a container lined with a coffee filter -- not good to fill the drain with glass! The watering, mixing and pouring off procedure has to be repeated until the water is clear.

If you're thinking, "Yeah! Now I can get on with the enameling!" you are incorrect. Next you have to spread each container of damp enamel on sheets of paper, each color by itself again. And now we wait for this to dry. Since, in my case, impatience is the mother of invention, I dragged out the old electric food dehydrater, inserted the trays of paper and glass powder, and not so patiently waited for the enamels to dry.

All in all this process took approximately 24 hours. By Sunday afternoon I was chomping at the bit, as they say. It was time to pour the dried powders back into their original (but now cleaned) little containers.

The rest of the process, to make an already long story longer, was to cut and dome copper disks, cut copper wire and solder it to the back of each disk. Next the disk has to be scrupulously cleaned which basically means a soak in hot acid (the pickle pot) followed by wire brushing and a bit of sanding to give the surface to be enameled a little tooth.

Now we brush on an even coating of the enamel adhesive and immediately sift a layer of enamel powder over it. This, then, has to dry. Are you beginning to see the necessity for producing more than one pair of earrings at a time? Hurry up and wait.

Finally, the enamel coated disks are positioned (level) on the wire grid of a soldering tripod. The torch is lit and heat applied from below so as not to scorch and ruin the enamel. Here's the final product:
I've very happy with my first attempt. Learned a few things and now I'm ready to go on. Any requests?

Lately I find myself . . .

2009-07-28T18:05:00.002-05:00

. . . being disappointed when the blogs I follow regularly haven't been updated in a couple of days. Actually I'd like to see new posts daily. Is that asking too much? Some of them are stretching past a week at this point. Then I signed into my own blog and I see that it has been TWELVE DAYS since my last post. My, how time flies!

There are a few things I need to post here but this is what I have for today:

Today's Harvest
It's great to be able to step out the back door and snip fresh lettuce! It tastes entirely different than the store-bought kind. We've been inundated with cucumbers and I've taken to hiding them in other dishes. Today it was the egg salad I prepared for lunch. If it looks like the green beans have been let go a little too long it's only because they hide from me until they're really big.

One of the miracles of the universe that I'm thankful for -- that the tiny seeds I so hopefully started in April have begun to provide us with wonderful fresh food! Now if only we could grow our own seafood . . .

Just let go.

2009-07-16T23:26:00.002-05:00

Remember the lost boxer we recently found? I'm happy to say she was reunited with her owner the next day. Before that, though, I emailed my children to let them know there might be a new pet available for them. My daughter's response went something like "I'm not sure I could be responsible for a dog."

I'd like her to imagine getting a dog. Of course she'd have to clip its nails, take it to the vet once a year, make sure the food and water bowls weren't empty. In return she would have a non-judgemental companion, one who would happily greet her with wagging tail each time she returned whether she had been gone for five days or only for five minutes. A furry friend to cuddle with whenever she wanted, one who would be there to provide unconditional love 24/7. And should she raise her voice over some misbehavior the dog wouldn't go away and sulk or turn and say "I hate you."

Now I'd like her to imagine that she's had this dog for about ten years or so when it runs away or dies. I really think in no time at all she could "just let go." Right?

After the motorcycle incident reported in my previous post my daughter sent me a photo of herself that she said represented her "satisfied mind." When I asked if that meant the racing around on the bike was now out of her system I got another email. This one said something like "Mom, I'm doing what I love. Learn to just let go."

So we've talked about responsibility for a pet. Now let's imagine we're responsible for a tiny human. Yeah, you'll have to clip this one's nails for sure. And you'll have to take it to the doctor maybe multiple times each year. It won't be able to feed itself or move itself to a safe place. And oh, by the way, it won't be able to clean its own butt.

Imagine you sit by the little one's hospital bed when she has to have tubes put into her ears or have the cyst on her neck surgically drained. There will be a sunny day when the sounds of her playing outside change just enough to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and you'll know she needs you. You sit with her holding ice on the golfball sized lump on her forehead and hope that what you know is coming won't -- two black eyes.

Next, you send her off to school. You hope that she won't be scared, that she'll get along with the teacher and the other kids. You're unexpectedly allowed to be proud when the local newspaper shows a photo of her (on the front page, no less) reading a book to her peers in kindergarten. You diligently make the Halloween costumes every year and pay attention to what she's hoping Santa will bring. You make sure the Easter Bunny shows up. And don't forget the birthday parties.

She's gotten older and now can trim her own nails and wipe her own butt, although you still have to take her to the doctor every now and then. You have to fill in the blanks left by her teacher and her friends when it comes to the "birds and bees." You're responsible. You worry about her academic progress and you participate, like a good parent, in the high school marching band's activities. As if Girl Scouts wasn't enough, camping and selling those cookies . . .

High school graduation comes along and you feel lucky she made it through; the divorce has taken its toll on both of you. Still, she's a lovely young woman with good friends and now has her first serious relationship with a young man. You work with her on making the decision whether to go to college or find other appropriate work. You probably shouldn't still feel responsible, but you do.

You take the time to look at housing possibilities for the happy couple. Maybe you donate some towels or a blanket to their effort. Over the years you've had a couple of ambulance rides with her but she's come out all right; this time there's no ambulance but her hurt is very real and you take her home hoping her wounds will heal. Maybe they never will.

She's grown into a woman capable of taking care of herself. She's moved out of state, bought cars, found jobs -- become self sufficient. You're not responsible any more. Chicken pox, strep throat, flu, braces, a dislocated knee and bad hair days. It's probably a good thing you were there. Now she's bought a motorcycle and wants to race around a curvy track at speeds in excess of 100 mph, but you're no longer responsible. And she's doing what she loves. So come on, mom, "just let go."

How?

Why Mothers Worry

2009-07-14T21:25:00.006-05:00

My daughter.

My daughter on speed. The two-wheeled kind.

Need I say more?

You never know . . .

2009-07-12T14:50:00.002-05:00

. . . when a seemingly ordinary weekend will turn slightly less than ordinary. Friday evening while cooking steaks on the grill we noticed the Red Baron buzzing around the sky over the Illinois River. He was doing loops, stalls, dives and being generally entertaining. It served to remind me there was to be an air show this weekend at the airport; we took a ride over to check it out on Saturday afternoon.

Great timing -- we arrived and found our spot just before the US Air Force Thunderbirds put on their show. I can't recall ever attending an air show before and assumed I would be bored. Not the case! Words can't describe the experience of watching (and HEARING) these F-16s do their thing. I was blown away by the fact that you don't even know they're coming until they're right on top of you. Although LOUD doesn't come close to describing the noise from these birds, it apparently trails behind them due to their warp speed. Were they to drop a bomb on us, we'd only hear their sound from heaven.

It was an incredible show and I highly recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to see the Thunderbird's demo should GO. It is unbelievable.
Today's excitement began typically enough as I was sitting at the computer checking out my favorite blogs, none of which had new posts, by the way. You know who you are. Something caught my eye in the front yard outside the neighbor's house; for a moment I thought it was a large fox I was seeing through the trees. On taking a closer look I realized it was a dog not walking its human. When it showed up again in the same place a few minutes later, I went out for a closer inspection.

She was a youngish-looking boxer with tail docked but ears not cropped (thank you). I took our leash and a bag of treats out with which to entice her to be captured. She wasn't having it. She took off and circled the block again. On the fourth circle when I encountered her once again, she took off, obviously not wanting any part of the treats, me or the leash.

The spousal unit was by now in the car so I jumped in and we began to follow her around the neighborhood. Each time we would catch up to her and try to get her to come to the car, she'd throw us the "stink-eye" over her shoulder and run off. At last she was trapped in a small yard and Jim was able to hook her up to the leash. She still wouldn't accept a treat but hopped into the car quite readily.

Wearing a collar and current rabies tag, we're hopeful the owner(s) will claim her. If not, is there anyone who'd like a sweet, docile, lovely little female boxer?

Now that I'm coming off of the weekend's excitement I can devote the next 24 hours to worrying about my wild daughter madly racing her motorcycle around the Elkhart Lake race track tomorrow. Wish us luck!

The bombs bursting in air . . .

2009-07-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

. . . reminded us once again of our freedom, something we take for granted. For me, a jewelry artist, the fireworks display we attended reminded me of something additional. I saw glittery gold pieces falling from the sky. And rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. I SO love the bling! I never get tired of the fireworks -- does anyone?

Earlier in the day the spousal unit and I went to the local farmer's market to score more of Harry's delicious hydroponically grown tomatoes; it's too early here for the REAL ones. Still, Harry's tomatoes actually TASTE like tomatoes, a real luxury for us.

And since we're on the subject of produce, here's an update to my efforts back in April to start plants from seed. Basil . . .

. . . and lettuce . . .
growing in boxes attached to the back porch railings. Our very first cucumber of the season . . .

. . . growing on neighbor Amy's side of the fence. Can anyone tell me why they're ALL growing on that side? Pretty purple posies . . .

. . . Morning Glories. And don't forget the green bean teepee . . .

. . . where Moon Flowers have yet to bloom. And last but not least, our first hopeful tomato.

The finale feast of the fourth of July weekend? Chicken marinated in Italian dressing and grilled on our wonderful new grill (thanks again, Heather!). Sliced onto a bed of our fresh lettuce and basil with mozzarella in balsamic vinaigrette and accompanied by grill-toasted bread from Avanti's. Yum!

And finally, time to relax in front of the TV with the spousal unit and my BFFFF before bedtime.

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of . . .

2009-07-04T13:15:00.001-05:00

. . .

What a weekend!

2009-06-29T12:26:00.008-05:00

Whew! We're back to what qualifies as "normalcy" for us after a weekend of non-stop action. We arrived in Chicago Friday evening and on Saturday attended a HUGE family (and friends) gathering for nephew Steve who has now passed a milestone -- he has become a Journeyman Electrician. Great party! Thanks, Jen, for all your hard work.

On Sunday we attended an art show in Bartlett, Illinois. It was a smallish show with about 50 artists, sponsors and food vendors. We came upon a table with jewelry that I immediately recognized as Wendy Witchner's signature style. She has been creating with sheet metals, wire and buttons for many years and her work has been published several times. We chatted for a very long while; she is wonderfully friendly and sharing and will teach her techniques at the drop of a hat. A most generous and creative woman! Please stop by her website and look at her fabulous work and read her interesting story. Look for her next at the Hinsdale (IL) July 4th Arts & Crafts Show. Here's one of my favorites from Wendy's bracelet collection:

Tucked into the MOUNTAIN of email we had this morning was a quick note from my friend Sankofa. He is another veteran of the art show circuit and one of my favorite exhibitors to hang out with at the shows. Here's a quick interview with Sankofa from You Tube; it's not the best quality but you might find it interesting. BTW, the customer he talks about who collects his OOAK shirts is very real and can often be found shopping with Sankofa at Miami area shows -- her name is Stephanie and she's great fun to be around as well.

Here's Sankofa's website address: http://www.nothinbuttaylormade.com/

My long-awaited summer visit . . .

2009-06-25T12:38:00.001-05:00

. . . from special friends, Blake and Taylor is finally here! So far the week has been unseasonably hot, in the 90s actually, so we've opted to skip the zoo this time. We spent an enjoyable day at the Aquaplex -- this photo is of the outdoor play area. The entire "floor" is some kind of squishy material, great to walk on. What you can't see is the large indoor area with its therapy pool, lap pool, regular pool, the kid's area with the big waterslide and other play equipment and the "lazy river," an oval cool-water pool with large tubes available for those who care to float. Our next outing was a cruise aboard The Spirit of Peoria, a large paddle-wheel vessel docked here on the Illinois River. Tickets are in hand and we can't wait to board!

Of course we want to sit on the upper deck so we don't miss anything.

The ship has an enclosed dining room for dinner cruises with live entertainment. There is also a snack bar with outdoor seating.

We were fascinated by the action of the wheel; once again we're reminded of the power of water.

Now let's get back home into that air conditioning!

What to do . . .

2009-06-23T16:47:00.003-05:00

. . . when it's one hundred degrees in the shade: It wasn't quite that hot yesterday, thankfully. My friends Blake and Taylor, who are visiting from the Indianapolis area, accompanied me on a few errands and then to our fitness center's "aquaplex." That was yesterday, however, and today's a whole other matter. The 100 degree matter.

After a quick walk with our furry friend we decided going to the zoo was out of the question and we've been here just chilling all day, eating grapes, playing video games, watching TV. Sure hope we have more to report later in the week!

Steamy Steamboat Weekend!

2009-06-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the local Steamboat Festival held at the riverfront. The occasion also marked the 36th running of The Steamboat Classic. Living in the heart of the downtown area as we do, we were able to watch all the estimated 4,000 runners (and a few walkers) pass.

Heather and I visited the farmer's market along the river after the race where we picked up some REAL tomatoes, honey, yummy pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins and the best cheesy garlic bread I've ever tasted.

It was a weekend of just hanging out and enjoying time together, good food, a couple games of gin with Uncle Jim and maybe just a little jewelry making.

Mind your Ps . . .

2009-06-17T15:47:00.005-05:00

. . . and Queue! Netflix, that is. If you don't subscribe to Netflix, there's probably no point in your continuing to read this post, you just won't understand. The rest of you know that Netflix asks subscribers to rate the movies they've rented. Netflix also deems itself qualified to recommend additional movies for your enjoyment. Although I'm the queue manager in this house, I try to throw in something from the "action/adventure" category every now and then to please the spousal unit. Most recently our daily mail brought us "Kill Switch," a 2008 movie written by, and starring, Steven Segal. Here's part of a review of this film that I discovered today on the Internet Movie Database, better known as imbd.com.

"Where do I start on how bad this movie is? Segal has always been proud to show off his fighting skills in each movie he has appeared in however this movie features a stunt double in every fighting scene – even the hand to hand scenes! You'll see a fight scene about to start, the real Segal, the camera then cuts to the back of the Segal double, his hair looks nothing like the real Segal!!! Segal will pull a mean face the camera cuts to the stunt double who then throws a punch, back to the real Segal, pull another funny face….stunt double throws a kick – this is how every fight scene is cut! Oh and in case you missed anything each hit is shown again TWICE from a different angle. We see a guy get kicked out of window & the shot of him coming out the window is shown to us SIX times!"

I hope it's okay that I snagged that content; the movie wasn't worthy of my having to write all that myself. However, it was kind of amusing to watch a red-faced, bloated Steven Segal strut his stuff as a cocky Memphis cop with an accent that's trying so hard to be southern and a voice like Marlon Brando in "The Godfather." One question: why does a "top cop" like Jacob King empty his weapon without ever hitting anyone? Maybe he's on the sauce. Sure looks like he's been on the BBQ sauce!

Last week I decided to take a more critical look at my queue to see if could eliminate any more of these stinkers. After all, I've amassed a collection of over 200 movies that at some point I actually thought we'd watch. If you try to work with your Netflix queue at all, let me know if I'm the only one who thinks a snail moves faster. Anyway, I spent a big block of time rechecking the selections, deleting, and finally reordering. When the page refreshed I was surprised to see that the changes had not "taken." Went through and did it again and the page refresh satisfied me that all was well.

Lo and behold (yes, some people still say that), yesterday's mail brought "I'm Not There." And guess what? I thought it had been deleted. I'm Not Watching It. The movie appears to have a stellar cast including Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Kris Kristofferson and Richie Havens, which is undoubtedly why I picked it in the first place. Or perhaps someone was smoking funny stuff near me. Whatever. I've snagged some part of "I'm Not There" from You Tube. It could be a trailer, a scene or the whole thing for all I know because . . . I can't watch it! I can't even get three minutes into this thing. Let me know if you can watch the entire video and I'll have a prize for you!

She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie . . .

2009-06-15T17:37:00.003-05:00

. . . cocaine. I've become increasingly aware that I have a bad habit that has to stop. It's not good for my skin, my bones, my nutrition. I'm thankful I've never been a smoker because I don't think I have what it would take to quit. Today I'm about on my last nerve. Woke up with a migraine, took medicine and slept till ten. This afternoon the headache has been coming back.

Then there are the hallucinations. Without glasses I just thought I saw a racoon across the street; it turned out to be a rather healthy squirrel. I know I'm in the throws of withdrawal -- I can feel the violent urges welling up in me. If I see one person walking down the street in front of our house drinking a cold Cherry Coke (that's HIGH OCTANE, not the wimpy diet stuff), I swear I will beat him or her over the head to grab it. To feel the cold liquid sliding down my throat, that would be heavenly just now.

I've been off the Demon Coke for many days now, at least since Thursday. And I just don't think I'm gonna make it. For one thing, Heather will be visiting this coming weekend and you know what a slippery slope it is to spend time with another user. Even the spousal unit is behaving like the tiny devil on my shoulder, telling me he doesn't know why I'm putting myself through this. "What's wrong with that one small indulgence?" he says.

I'm heading out now for my first pottery class. Gotta wonder if I'm going to be able to summon the strength to pay attention for two hours. I might have to leave early and make a quick trip to Walmart. Yes, I'm weak. And maybe those evil Coca-Cola people never really stopped putting the "good stuff" in their beverages. Whatever. By this time tomorrow I expect I'll be riding high on the bubbly brown horse.

Yes, Virginia . . .

2009-06-14T17:19:00.006-05:00

. . . there really is a black hole. I've been reading lately about quantum physics. Trying to read is more truthful; to be honest, much of what I've read so far is just way too out there for my tiny little brain to comprehend. Take this quote for example:

"No one knows just how the sudden popping from the imaginal possible to the real takes place. There is nothing in quantum physics itself that predicts this occurrence. Yet, this sudden 'pop of reality' is the basis of Werner Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Also called the 'principle of indeterminism,' the uncertainty principle reflects the inability to predict the future based on the past or based on the present. Known as the cornerstone of quantum physics, is provides an understanding of why the world appears to be made of events that cannot be connected in terms of cause and effect."

Is it just me or does this sound like some far out double talk? ". . . the inability to predict the future based on the past or based on the present." Did this statement require a gathering of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century to come up with? Far as I know this is and has always been true for all of us other than maybe the weather man and the carnival fortune teller. But, I digress.

Somewhere along the way comes the mention of "parallel universe(s)." I wonder if that's what psychic Sylvia Browne was talking about when she said heaven is only about three feet off the ground we currently walk on, we just can't see it.

It all sounds pretty goofy, but here's where I get sucked in. Visitors who've seen both my Illinois and Florida studios would have to say that the Illinois workspace is neater and much more organized. Possibly that's because I left more than half my "stuff" in the one in Florida. Regardless, I've had this ongoing problem from the first day I started working here in Illinois:

I drop things and they disappear, often never to be seen again.

Black hole? Parallel universe? Earlier this afternoon I removed five domed copper disks, ranging in size from 3/4 inch to 1 1/4 inch from my tumbler. I rinsed them and bundled them in an old diaper, my rag of choice. Carried them to my work table and proceeded to dry them off and place them under the heat of the lamp to dry thoroughly. At first I thought I was missing one disk but it turned out to be stuck to the underside of another. I separated them but one dropped to the floor. I heard it bounce off a plastic bead box but thought no more about it. I continued to wipe the rest of the disks and then turned my attention to the floor to retrieve the one I dropped.

It was gone. I looked everywhere. Twice. Moved things, opened cabinets, picked up the foot control for my flexshaft and the waste basket. Looked IN the wastebasket. Under the furniture. Across the room. It was nowhere to be found. A shiny, copper disk around an inch in diameter could not be seen anywhere.

As I usually do in these situations, I sought the assistance of my spousal unit. Being a manly man, he is never far from his tools and so came equipped with a giant flashlight. He began to search. Everywhere I'd already searched and then some. Three times. He looked throughout the entire room and, to his credit, found my favorite pair of reading glasses that I didn't realize I was missing.

No copper disk, however. Is the house haunted and a spirit snapped up the bright, shiny thing to keep as a souvenir? Is there really a black hole in my studio as I've been claiming for months? Or did the disk bounce into a parallel universe? Perhaps heaven? Apparently this is not my time to know. Maybe if I continue to read I'll get a clue as to where to find it. If not, here's the book I'm moving on to next:

Do. It. Now.

2009-06-09T08:05:00.006-05:00

I love this little guy. He reminds me of my favorite holiday and as you can guess, it's not Christmas. He's been sitting in front of the toaster since October. Not the 31st, but the 1st, the day we moved into our little rental house here in central Illinois. I packed him up along with the few kitchen items I allowed myself to bring from the house in Florida.

Although he's in that same spot 24/7, I realize as I'm writing this that I really don't "see" him everyday, he's just there. Just there waiting with a fresh tealight for someone to come along and give him some attention. I stopped and looked at him this morning and said "Why not?"

This happened as I was on my way to make a cup of tea. This is a rarity as I usually only slosh some juice or soy milk in a glass and down it with a breakfast bar. But this morning I thought, "Tea. Why not?" And in my favorite tea cup that is used to living in the dining room in Florida along with the rest of the tea cups I'm 'saving.' Saving for when?

More candles. In the daytime. No one here but me and the P. Why not? Had some fresh blueberries in the fridge. Can't remember the last time I bought them for myself. The spousal unit doesn't care for them. Buy them just for me? Hell yeah. Why not? Cook steel cut oats just for me? Okay!

What is in the back of your mind waiting for the time to be right? When will that be? Why not now?

There's a New Angel today.

2009-06-05T09:56:00.003-05:00

For some time now you've seen the photo of adorable little Andy at the upper right column here on my blog. Andy, grandson of my friend Rosemary and her husband Glenn, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I asked that prayers and positive healing energy be sent Andy's way. I asked everyone to "Expect a miracle."

Precious little Andy passed away peacefully yesterday, June 4th. His tiny body gave up the struggle and he is now at peace. Of course this occupied my thoughts long into the night. Some time before I fell asleep I remembered the adage "All prayers are answered. Sometimes the answer is 'No.'" Is this what happened?

In an instant I received my answer. We expected a miracle and, guess what? We got it. Little Andy was a miracle. Never mind that his life was way too brief; the joy and inspiration he provided, the hearts he touched, was the miracle.

Just as the perfection of a snowflake, a rose or a gorgeous sunset fade away much too quickly, the time to enjoy Andy's beauty was fleeting. The wonderful thing about our minds, though, is that we can recall these memories at any time and although the snow, flowers, sunset and Andy are gone from our sight, they are new and more beautiful than ever in our mind's eye. Andy's smile is his legacy.

I wish for the grief being felt by all who loved this little boy to be transformed to comfort, peace, and above all, an ongoing and joyous celebration of the gift of Andy's life.

Please continue to send prayers and positive energy, not only to Andy's family, but to all the little ones suffering from SMA. Please take the time to sign this petition.

New items . . .

2009-05-31T09:42:00.003-05:00

. . . in the new Etsy shop. My new shop is komponents, created to separate pieces and parts from the finished jewelry in my Palm Coast Art shop. Since way back when we first started exhibiting my jewelry in Florida art shows I have had many requests to sell my handmade charms separately.

Well I have finally gotten around to having a few of them cast in bronze and they are now available at komponents. I'm gradually building my inventory so stop by when you can and take a look!

Young Artists

2009-05-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with visitors this Memorial Day weekend; daughter Kris, her husband Dave, grandsons Cade and Cole and canine grand-daughter Lucy. After a car tour of the area we parked down along the Illinois River and went for a walk. It was a long walk with disappointment at the end when, hot and thirsty, we found nothing open but Hooters and considered it inappropriate to take the young boys there. Back to the car and over the bridge to the Texas Roadhouse for cold beverages and hot food!

Lucy and Peanut were happy to welcome us home and the boys were itching to try out the hot tub. Sadly, they are now old enough to refuse being photographed during baths but I assure you they enjoyed the bubbles!

Memorial Day was gray and rainy but that was good for us. Following donuts and another car tour, this time of Grandpa Jim's jobsite, the boys and I went off to the studio for some art time. It's so interesting to note the difference between brothers. Cole immediately knew what he wanted to create and didn't stop until his clay ship with three cannons was complete. Cade, on the other hand, seemed overwhelmed by the choices of medium much like I am on some days. He learned to make a wire armature and decorated it with a clay skull and cheesecloth gown. After that it was on to jewelry. Yes, guys can wear necklaces of Greek leather with a simple guitar pick dangling.

Progressing to resin, Cade found a bezel and some Chinese coins that fit just right. We added our resin and, once cured, attached the pendant to more leather. It turned out so well that he made another for his good friend Wyatt. Cole, decisive once again, immediately chose a miniature gravestone from which he would not be deterred. His vessel of choice was a bottle cap and after curing the resin we attached a bail and strung his creation. "Art time" was a success!

Really good things . . .

2009-05-24T12:41:00.005-05:00

. . . come in small packages. On Friday our mail carrier knocked to let me know she had a small package for me. It's not unusual for me to forget that I've ordered something, so I immediately looked at the return address; it was from jewelry artist Deryn Mentock. I love, love, love her work! If you're not familiar with Deryn you can check out her blog or her Etsy shop. Chances are any current, or past, issue of a Somerset magazine will feature either her jewelry or mixed media art. And if that's not enough for you, have a look at some of her photography. She's also hosted a jewelry challenge over the past year or so that I've participated in.

Back to the package. I have had a project in mind for some time and knew I'd seen one like it somewhere a long time ago and I needed some information on where to get some of the materials. After contacting what I thought was the obvious source and being wrong, it occurred to me that I had seen a photo of this project attributed to Deryn. Yes, I'm being secretive about the specifics of the project for now but you'll see it eventually here on my blog.

Anyway, I emailed Deryn to ask about where to get a ring binder assembly like she had used in the original project. These are apparently quite difficult to find unless you are willing to purchase a couple hundred of them. Deryn couldn't remember where she got her assemblies -- she emailed me that she had one lying around somewhere, asked for my address and

said she would send it to me.

When I opened the package I found she had sent me two of the binder assemblies and -- surprise! -- a bonus package of great beads. It's almost as if she knew of my obsession with skulls.

The binder assemblies that I desperately needed and cool handcarved bone beads! Thank you, Deryn, for your kindness and sharing! And the rest of you: send someone something! It doesn't have to be large or expensive, just send it and make someone's day.

And she's off . . .

2009-05-19T14:45:00.002-05:00

. . . her rocker, that is. Thought it was about time to venture outside with the new outdoor roller skates. I looked pretty cool, didn't I, sitting on the toilet wearing my gear in a previous post? Yeah, yeah, I'm cool. And it was pretty nifty skating around the house on the hardwood floors that one day a couple weeks ago. After all, my dad was a professional roller skater and my mom and sister nearly so.

I am back home now (obviously) safe but no more sound than when I left. I would say my first outdoor skating experience lasted about, oh let's say, maybe ten minutes. Keep in mind that I NEVER skated outdoors as a child and haven't been on skates in a rink in probably over thirty years.

I'm happy to say that there weren't many people out there to view my performance and not a single driver hurtled off the bridge above me while gawking. I also have my first fall behind (get it?) me. Nothing serious, just went down on my left hip while nearly standing still. As always before, I continue to be a bit unbalanced.

Thought I'd share with you a few of the thoughts I had in the course of the event:

"I know Heather said rocks could be deadly but I didn't think that included sizes less than four millimeters."

"Didn't realize last week when I walked this route with Peanut that some is blacktop and some is sidewalk and THEY ARE DIFFERENT. And, hey, the sidewalk has CRACKS."

"Whoa, this part didn't LOOK like it went downhill!"

And afterword:
"Who'd have thought elbows could sweat this much?"

After getting back to the car and stripping off the gear I realized that I was yawning almost non-stop. Possibly because I had held my breath the entire time I had the skates on.

And one final thought:
No matter whether your sister, mom or aunt tells you otherwise, it isn't like riding a bike and outside is never going to be the same as a nice, wooden rink floor.

Art and Prayers . . .

2009-05-12T18:10:00.002-05:00

. . . can certainly go together. Recently my fine knitter of a sister introduced me to the "prayer shawl" movement. She and a group of her knitter friends get together regularly to create shawls and throws which, once finished, are blessed by the church and delivered to those in need. Some are taken to patients in the hopitals, others to nursing homes. They are freely given to the sick, healing and grieving among us.

Although my limited understanding of the history of this movement is that it is of Christian origin, certainly the shawls are not limited to those followers. My interpretation is that anyone who wishes to can knit, crochet, weave or otherwise create a comforting blanket of fiber while instilling his or her positive prayers, thoughts and/or energy. As an artist, I believe strongly that a bit of the energy and intention of the creator of any piece of art lives within that piece forevermore.

I'm now on my third shawl, having sent the first to a friend who is fighting cancer. It was knit in Homespun "Quartz."

Quartz

The second went to an aunt in her 80s and was knit in Homespun "Tudor."

Tudor

It looked exactly like the one of the cover of this first book. I have been using Lion Brand Homespun yarn which knits up into a soft and cuddly shawl and, by the way, comes in no less than 66 colors. If you are interested in taking up needle or hook, here are the books I recommend as a start.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these books, you can click on them in the "carousel" in the bottom left column of this blog and you will be taken right to amazon.com to make your purchase. The amazon.com prices for these books, in order, are $9.37, $9.37 and $13.57. Happy knitting!

The fruits . . .

2009-05-11T13:59:00.010-05:00

. . . of my loins. Er, that sounds kind of gross. And they really aren't fruits anyway, they are peoples. My children.

The photo above is one of four I received in my email on Mother's Day. All are equally lovely but I thought this one captured their smiles the best. Initially I thought the photos were taken and sent to me in response to the following video which I received last week from a friend in Florida. Thanks, Ceil!

My daughter assures me, however, that my kids had the idea first (although they thoroughly enjoyed the video). She further assures me also that no one was harmed in the taking of the photos.

If you read my Mother's Day post, I want to say here that I received a comment on it from my son which read:

"I could think of one I'd like to thank for everything...I love you, momma. Thank you for everything...I'd be nothing without you. (insert pic of momma and I here that this thing won't let me copy into)Happy Mother's DayI love you "

I'm taking the liberty of choosing and inserting said photo below.

In addition, I recently answered a batch of questions posted on Denise's blog with regard to parenting. In further response to those questions, namely about what I might have done differently, I found this message which I assumed was sent for me directly from the universe yesterday at http://postsecret.blogspot.com/. If you don't know about Post Secret, I urge you to take a look there. Since it is too late to redo the past, I'm taking this as a sign of what I need to do in my future parenting (moms my age know it NEVER ends).

And thanks to everyone who emailed me with feedback about my Mother's Day post!

Happy Mother's Day . . .

2009-05-09T17:51:00.028-05:00

. . .to all good mothers everywhere and especially to the particularly wonderful moms I know personally. Here are just a handful of them in no particular order.

Joy

Tracy

Kristen
Edie

Jennifer
Sue and Grandma Marge

Carrie
Susan Grandma Gene

Michelle

I only wish I had photos of all the moms I'd like to honor today. Those who did their best and those still doing it. Moms who have passed, especially Jeanette, my mother Bernice, Tess (my surrogate Mom), my beautiful godmother Robbie, Aunt Caroline . . .

Moms who are my friends like Alice, Sally, Rosemary, Cathy, Cherie . . .

My Aunt May, cousins Nancy, Jean and Alice . . .

Moms who made the beds today and those who didn't . . .

Moms who work in offices, factories, hospitals and schools or at home; moms who drive the school bus and the car pools . . .

Moms who always know right where to find a bandaid but can't find their car keys . . .

Last, but not least, I want to honor the moms who have stood through the worst imaginable experience -- the loss of a child.

Let's honor them all today, think about where we'd be without them (we wouldn't!) and send them all our thoughts of love and peace.

Happy Mother's Day

New items, old Etsy shop . . .

2009-05-09T17:23:00.009-05:00

. . . old items, new Etsy shop. I really enjoy making jewelry components and wanted to offer some of them for sale so quite a while ago I began selling my handmade headpins and pipe bezels on my Etsy shop, http://palmcoastart.etsy.com/. After a sleepless night I decided at 4:00 am this morning that I needed to create another shop to separate components and destash items from my jewelry shop. It took me a while to come up with a name for the new shop, to make my banner and avatar and get it set up. Here it is:

komponents Not too many items listed so far, just headpins and bezels that I moved from my other shop. If you're wondering what in the world "destash" is, it is just what it sounds like -- items from my "stash" that I no longer wish to hold on to.To visit the new shop click here or on the screen shot above: http://komponents.etsy.com/.

Meanwhile, I've added a few new items to Palmcoastart and here they are.

A bracelet made with copper, mother of pearl, green and purple amethysts:

A pair of earrings, vintage acrylic beads and antiqued brass -- I wouldn't mind hanging on to these myself:

And another bracelet completely made of fused fine silver:

Click on any of the photos to get the details.

Here it is . . .

2009-05-04T14:15:00.007-05:00

. . Monday again! Where did the time go? Had a great visit with Heather; a week wasn't long enough. Thanks so much to Stephen for the transportation. What did we do all week? Walked on the track at the club. Went to Wal-Mart too many times. Made jewelry? Not enough. Ate? Too much. Yummy olives!Slept. Again, too much. Watched TV and movies -- Doubt, Milk, Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Roller skated in the house. It rained every day!

This afternoon Peanut and I took a walk to see where the path that passes the Riverplex ends up and whether it would be good for skating. Wow! You can skate all the way along the river to Hooters (yippie.)! I don't consider Hooters a destination but before you get there you have passed: my yoga studio, The Rhythm Kitchen, Contemporary Arts Center, the Antique Center, the riverboat dock (for rides on the river), Joe's Crab Shack, Old Chicago (good beer selection), Tilley's (pricey restaurant), Martinis on Water and Johnny's Hideaway.
A plus - at the end, at Hooters, there is a nicely graded railroad crossing and only one more block to the Water Street Cafe and Kelleher's. Can't wait!

We are Skype-ready!

2009-05-02T14:33:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard of "Skype" what rock have you been hiding under? Probably the one I was under until recently. Skype is a free service on the internet. One that is worth paying for BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Run, don't walk, to your nearest electronics store (we went to Best Buy) and pick up a webcam with integral microphone. You can get them anywhere from about $35 up. We're happy with our HP. Just check the system requirements against your PC to be sure you can run it. You'll get a CD for installation, plug the camera in and GO! Jim installed ours the same day Denise installed hers and here's one of the screens:
What prompted this? We were looking for a way to open birthday gifts in the presence of family living hundreds of miles away. Just think, you can get together with distant friends and family on birthdays, Christmas, Arbor Day!

Later on Heather got to Skype with Denise, Anya and their mystery visitor. The photo below is a screen shot.

What a great way to keep in touch! Check in with the kids, watch the grandchildren and puppies grow, I can't say enough about how cool this is.

Another rainy day . . .

2009-04-27T17:39:00.016-05:00

. . . in central Illinois. Despite the clouds and cool breeze, my visitor Heather (jewelry designer extraordinaire) and I decided on a walk to the Riverfront district for lunch. Peanut and Kona were sad to see us leave even though we left the TV on the Animal Planet channel for their entertainment. Along the way we noticed this very cool train painting on what is left of an old bridge support. You can see another support behind it across the parking lot and the replacement bridge in the distance.

Even having lived here for over six months this is the first I've noticed the painting or this micro-brewery. Rest assured we'll be sampling their wares soon.

We passed Kelleher's, a good old Irish bar and epicenter of the evening celebration of St. Patrick's day in these parts.

We decided on lunch at the Water Street Cafe, a quaint corner bistro with an above average wine list.

Lovely wines aside, we chose Lambic, a most refreshing raspberry-flavored beverage of Belgian origin. And a grilled turkey and avocado sandwich. And a chicken pesto wrap. And homemade hummus. Yummy!

During lunch the rain was POURING down. We waited it out and then stopped at the HUGE riverfront antique shop where we spent at least two hours trolling through treasures; linens, jewelery, pottery, toys, photos and on and on . . .

As we left the antique market a light sprinkle began to fall. As it started to rain a bit harder we very conveniently found ourselves outside Eamon Patrick's Public House, another fine Irish bar. If you saw my post from St. Patrick's Day you will know this is a very Irish town.

Here are our Guinness and Shock Top refreshments; and IMHO Shock Top, similar to Blue Moon, is much tastier. And the bartender wasn't bad either! We've decided a return visit is in order for their Irish Sunday Brunch:
As the rain let up we set off for the final leg of our walk home. Here are my treasures from the antique market; a Westinghouse refrigerator leftovers dish by Hall China Co. and vintage photos of a young girl and an older woman. Instant ancestors!

Last, steamy bowls of homemade chicken and dumpling soup with brownies for dessert. What will we do tomorrow?

You are my sunshine . . .

2009-04-25T10:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Sunshine! As I was preparing for this special birthday post, searching for photos of my lovely daughter Denise, I was stunned to find that this is just about the only photo I could find of her without her brother.This is the case partially because I don't have my full collection of photos here with me in Illinois. But, upon reflection, I realize it is because Denise is the caretaker. The photo above is classic Denise, behind the scenes, not wanting any undue attention. That photo was taken, by the way, at the Brainerd, MN raceway where she went to support her little brother in his motorcycle racing endeavors.

It isn't only Tom she takes care of. She was the only one there for me at my worst time ever. Stoic, strong, doing what she had to do. Here are beautiful flowers she planted to decorate her dad's deck after she gently(?) pushed him to finish building it. And, yes, she does know her way around tools and pitched in for the construction.
As you can see, the caretaking started at an early age. Despite some bloodletting between the two during adolescence, I don't know of any brother and sister who are closer. Sometimes I call them Bessie and Phil -- referring to their dad's aunt and uncle who were each other's sole companions for life.

She reminds me alot of her grandma, Genevieve. And that's a wonderful thing.

Denise is strong-willed, sometimes stubborn. She chooses her friends and activities without influence from anyone. The only woman in a sport bike club? You bet.

She is a deeply caring human. And the smartest person I know. And I'm so lucky that she is still "my sunshine." Happy Birthday, Baby!

Starting from less than scratch . . .

2009-04-24T15:49:00.011-05:00

. . . can be a daunting task. This is the view from the back porch of our rental home in Illinois. The parking lot behind us belongs to OSF St. Francis Hospital. I've been itching to clean up the yard since we moved here last October but so far have only raked piles and piles of dead leaves and cleaned up some of the fallen branches from an ice storm. The next photo is a composite view of the side yard which is an empty lot between our house and the beautiful, original Craftsman home next door.
This is not a before photo, mind you, as I've already spent several hours working on the clean-up. We are told this is a neighborhood in transition. Additionally, since this is a rental property, the landlord provides a minimum of services which don't include cleaning up the landscape. This is likely why there is so much CRAP lying around. This view of one corner of the parking lot behind us shows the disgraceful condition the hospital has allowed to exist on one of their many properties. I hope they take better care of their patients!

Here's a closer view of some of what I've been cleaning up. On the positive side the soil seems to be good after years of living under piles of decaying leaves and wood and non-decaying trash. I've seen some fat, happy worms today and a couple of snails. I'm hoping whatever we plant will flourish. Another positive note -- there is a well established ground cover next to the fence. Maybe the ubiquitous pachysandra?

Check out the pile of branches that we and our Craftsman neighbors have accumulated. It's hard to see in the photo actually how large of a pile it is. It awaits pick-up by the landlord's posse. In the meantime, I'm thinking it wouldn't be so bad if a passing smoker would toss a live butt in there (cigarette butt, that is). In the foreground you can see what we think is a leftover tree stump and other dead foliage that now houses a rather irritating bunny who enjoys teasing our dog and making her bark. We hope to clean up this area as well.

Bottom line for this week is I've cleared up enough space to make my very first teepee and I've planted green beans and moonflowers which I hope will eventually provide a lovely display of flowers and the occasional dish of yummy vegetables. We have plans for tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini as well.

And there can never be enough flowers!

We're famous!

2009-04-22T13:23:00.003-05:00

Well not exactly. Here's an article about our rental home that appeared in the local newspaper a couple of weeks ago: Question: If home is where the heart is and one has multiple homes then where is the heart?

Kay's Grow House

2009-04-14T13:11:00.003-05:00

During my spring break absence, the spousal unit was appointed to care for both the wildlife and crops I left behind in Illinois. I'm happy to say Peanut is as good as can be expected for a dog who has gained almost 20% of her entire body weight in the past several months. She misses those Florida bike path walks! Spring is coming, though, even to Illinois I'm sure, and we will be walking outdoors again soon. And enjoying the future fruits and flowers of our seedling crop.

I hit Walmart bright and early yesterday morning for some inexpensive plastic shelves and a fluorescent shop light. Here's my new construction:
We've got some fine moon flower and morning glory plants along with some green beans. The lavender and basil aren't far behind. Also picked up some of my most favorite flowering bulbs, the beautiful Hyacinth, on clearance. Here are two of them, yet to bloom. Is there a more spectacular fragrance on earth?

"Home is the place . . .

2009-04-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

. . . where when you go there, they have to take you in." That's one of my favorite quotes. The spring break trip to Florida was my first time back to our beautiful home in Tampa since we moved to central Illinois last October 1st. The visit was bittersweet since, in all probability, we will end up selling it in the next year or so. Greatful as I am to have lived in such luxury, I am also very greatful for our rented home in Illinois. It is the OLD home with character that I've always wanted. Where will we end up? It is written somewhere in the universe but not yet known to me.

I've said there is nothing I've missed from the Florida house in these many months other than the recliner and the rest of my stained glass. Still, I allowed myself one large carton of items to ship back to Illinois. Mainly I needed my summer clothes, shorts and such, since I didn't bring them at the time of the move.

Maybe there is some insight into my personality here. Maybe it's just stuff. What did I send myself? Summer clothes, yes. But also a few special pieces of stained glass, candles, yummy tea. A bottle of glass etching solution, my glass circle cutter, my soldering pan and charcoal. And the upholstery attachment for the vacuum?
Books. A candle topper. My souvenir "Wolves" video from the Tampa zoo. Not the lovely Navajo vessel -- that has been here since I received it as a gift from Tracy and Kevin a few months ago.

A very small portion of the fabric stash from my sewing room:

And for when all is said and done, two treasured tea cups from my collection.

Another reason why . . .

2009-04-10T16:31:00.002-05:00

. . . this is a GOOD Friday is because today we celebrate the birth of my awesome and fabulous "boy," Thomas. So much has transpired between here:

And here:
So many wonderful memories of my boy . . .
. . . but best of all is He Love His Momma!
Happy Birthday, Tom, and MANY, MANY more. You're the best!

Good Friday . . .

2009-04-10T12:22:00.001-05:00

. . . otherwise known as "Can we go to Target?" Day. My friends Blake and Taylor never tire of scouring the toy aisles for Legos andhave quite a collection between them. I promised to publish photos from one of their epic battles and here they are:

May The Force be with you!

"Back Home Again . . .

2009-04-09T15:03:00.002-05:00

. . . In Indiana, and it seems like I can see the flickering candlelight, still shining bright, through the Sycamores for me." Yes, it's true, the long-term memory lingers after the short-term (like remembering to bring the camera!) begins to disappear. As the limo delivered us back to Blake and Taylor's home the State Song of Indiana began to play in my head. I think it was actually something we were required to perform at 8th grade graduation. Surprised that Indiana was already a state back then?

I also need to mention here that my friends performed for me a song they have been practicing at their school choir, something like "Nifty Fifty," a song about -- you guessed it -- the fifty states. There was a point where I stopped them, though, and said "Wait! Did you just say New Hampster?" Another special, long-term memory for me for sure!

A day fit for the zoo . . .

2009-04-08T23:49:00.001-05:00

. . . so that's where Blake, Taylor and I went! To Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, that is, once again voted the BEST ZOO IN THE U.S. by Parent's Magazine. Once a blonde, always a blonde, I always say -- and forgot to bring the camera! Duh!

The weather was beautiful and so were all the animals. Here are a couple of phone photos of the mom and baby manatees enjoying lunch.

After a tour of the entire zoo, navigated as always by Blake, we stopped off at the gift shop. In true manly form, Blake chose to wait outside while Taylor and I shopped for souvenirs. Dinner today was at Red Lobster at Taylor's request where we loaded up on Cheddar Bay biscuits, among other delicacies.

At home once again, my friends opted for more pool time since it was their last day in Florida. Unbelievable! The water was 70 degrees (my personal minimum is 83!) and the air temperature was 67 and Blake and Taylor spent HOURS enjoying each other's company. We have to admit, though, that a good part of the time was spent in the 100 degree hot tub.

Last but by far not least, my good friend Coyote came for a visit with wine and sushi and we spent lots of time catching up, crying and laughing. What an outstanding finale to a great spring break adventure!

Run for your lives!

2009-04-07T22:48:00.001-05:00

Here comes Ginormica!

At least that's what I feel like after a steady diet of donuts, pizza and ice cream. But, what the heck, it IS spring break after all and I want my friends to have what they like. Exclusively. Just for a little while. Since today's temperatures are not expected to get out of the 60s it seemed like the perfect day for a movie. I love the theaters at Citrus Park Mall in Tampa -- the matinees are mostly unattended so there's plenty of room to relax and enjoy and that's just what we did. Monsters VS Aliens - I highly recommend it.

Following a quick dinner of chicken fingers (did you know they have fingers?) and mac and cheese at Miller's Tampa Ale House we indulged in their premier dessert, Captain Jack's Buried Treasure. It is a huge hunk of cake made of ice cream, crushed Heath bars and chocolate fudge topped with whipped cream. Afterward, we returned home for a visit from our wonderful Florida friends, Andrew, Carrie and Caden. They REALLY DO grow like weeds, don't they? Not Carrie and Andrew; Caden recently celebrated his first birthday. So GOOD to see them, I really appreciated the visit!

I hope Mom and Dad stopped off on the way home to buy the big guy his own Nintendo DS!

It's a rainy day . . .

2009-04-06T19:24:00.006-05:00

. . . but we're still managing to have some fun here in Florida on our Spring Break. Although clouds totally obscured the sun we took advantage of the still-warm weather and had some pool time. As it started to rain we climbed into the hot tub and held an inflated raft over our heads. Good thing, because it started to POUR! After the rain subsided we found a different way to amuse ourselves.

Here's a cute little marshmallow chick about to meet a strange fate. (Thanks to Denise and Friends for leaving us Peeps to play with!) First we place each Peep on its own plate. Then we open unwrap a piece of Dove chocolate. Next the poor little victim goes into the microwave.

In less than a minute the Peep has easily tripled in size!

We remove the hot marshmallow from the microwave. It no longer resembles any kind of chick. We place our Dove chocolate in the center and fold the hot, sticky marshmallow around it and . . .
. . . a new taste treat is born.

And . . .

2009-04-05T17:56:00.011-05:00

. . . we're off! Upon arrival at the Indianapolis airport we realized it was time for our afternoon snack of cheese popcorn and caramel corn. It wasn't long after we settled in at the gate that it was time to board the Boeing 717.

Taylor was on the aisle,

Blake was on the window,

and I was the monkey in the middle. After a forty-five minute delay catching our connection in Atlanta we were once again airborne for the final leg of our trip to Tampa, Florida. It was dark by the time we got our rental car. We headed for the grocery store to pick up a few necessities (donuts) and went "home" to put our dinner pizza in the oven.

After a good night's sleep the daylight showed the pool in good order and the temperature was moving into the 80s. The first order of the day was my removal of a baby snake from the pool amidst much screaming by Taylor. After that, we spent most of the day in the pool but found time for experiencing the local wildlife.

We took a walk to the pond at the entrance gate and were pleased to see a gator enjoying the late afternoon sun. Unfortunately we didn't think to carry our cameras. Fortune smiled on us later, though, when the neighbors pointed out a gator in the pond behind our house. This time Taylor and I were ready with our cameras.

What a cute little fella!

Yep, I'm packing . . .

2009-04-03T14:37:00.003-05:00

. . . my suitcase. And I'm heading off to Indianapolis later today to meet up with two of my BFFs, Blake and Taylor. Here they are at our trip to the Honeymoon Island beach last year.

I've had to take a little time out, though, to work the farm. The electric blanket apparently accelerates the germination process and today I've had to move some of our little sprouts to a location with natural light so they can get on with their photosynthesis. Tomatos, moon flowers, morning glories, lavender, basil and even a cucumber have begun their little plant lives.

Another swell tip I got from daughter Kris was actually a lesson in how to make my own biodegradeable seedling pots out of newspaper. Read about it here. She has these cool little pot makers. When I get back from Florida I'll be making these for the plants that have outgrown their Jiffy Pellets but aren't yet ready for the garden.

I also came across a good gardening blog during my research. Mr. Brown Thumb has an alternative to purchasing the potmaker which you read about here. Sorry but I don't have time to contact him to ask whether I can steal the photo from his blog. But check it out, he has several most interesting posts. I also like the "ghetto greenhouse" idea.

Meanwhile I'll be thinking about you all while we're lounging in the hot tub with a cool beverage tomorrow night!

Meanwhile, up in the North Forty . . .

2009-04-02T17:00:00.007-05:00

. . . Spring has Sprung! After living most of my life in Illinois I am happy to be back for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is gardening. The spousal unit is a wonderful landscaper and each of our homes has been over the top when it comes to trees, shrubs and flowers. Vegetables, however, were my territory before we first left Illinois and since then have all been purchased at a grocery store. Do you know how many years it's been since I've eaten a tomato that actually tasted like a tomato?

I haven't done much with gardening over the years we've spent in Georgia and Florida other than some hostas and a few flowers. Georgia has its copperheads, frightening but very colorful spiders and scorpions. And oh yeah, you need a pile driver to make a hole in the clay. In Florida we have our pygmy rattlers, the very aggressive black racers, and my niece's personal favorite, the wheel bug, one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America according to Wikipedia.

Perhaps the worst killer of gardening fun in the south is the fire ant. Your chances of being attacked are 50/50 anywhere you step or kneel. Been there. Done that. Not so fun.

In years long past it was my habit to purchase veggie seedlings rather than seeds. This year I decided to try something new -- starting seeds. For some strange and unknown reason a previous owner of the house we are renting installed a rather large hot tub in the upstairs bathroom. This is in addition to a normal tub and shower. The room is quite large, especially for such an old home. My helpful and quick-thinking spousal unit retrieved a good chunk of plywood from the batcave (basement) and placed it over the hot tub. Taking a tip from our daughter Kristen, I got us a nice electric blanket to warm the little seeds. Plastic trays with 72 Jiffy Pellets each were a great buy at Walmart for $5 or $6 each.

I spent most of Monday afternoon sowing the seeds I purchased. Nothing unusual or heirloom, just some flowers and green beans, some herbs and zucchini, cucumbers and TOMATOS, TOMATOS, TOMATOS (of the beefsteak variety). Now, only three days later, I've opened the incubators to find that babies have been born! If I've catalogued the trays properly, we're on our way (so far) to morning glories and basil. Can't wait!