Its a beautiful day here today...but what I really want to do tomorrow is till up part of the garden where the grass took over this summer...would I be a complete jerk for doing that on Jan 1 - a day when folks typically have hangovers? The neighborhood we live in (if you can call it that) is pretty quiet and has plenty of over-65's around, so I seriously doubt they'll be hungover...last year I painted the front door lime green on Jan 1...December is mostly sunny and warm here, and doing outdoor projects is always easy...half of the garden is already put to sleep, Brian dug out most of the old grass, I planted bluebonnet seeds (its kinda late for them, but ya never know), and relocated the stepping stones and mulched everything in...you'd never know we had a garden here, its all leveled and mulched like it's brand new...there are plants hiding down there, they'll erupt in the spring and I'll add some colorful annuals in March...
The other side of the yard isn't much bigger, but its full of grass...plus we never tilled it last year, so it needs to be worked over...I've mulched in some of the plants that i've already cut back, and the roses are still growing like crazy, so all I have to do is till around the existing plants...shouldn't be too bad, i love the tiller, its a madman of a machine...its gonna be much colder tomorrow, in the 40's (today its gonna be 70) so i'll have chattering teeth, but really, when you're running a tiller or moving large, heavy stones, you really want it to be cooler...we've been sweating in the yard enough the past few days, I'm ready for some chilly workin weather...
The little white kitten that Brian captured the other day is wedged behind his bookcases in his office and just cries and cries...it won't come out, its too scared, so its all alone and crying...i feel so bad for it...we're gonna see if we can get it out once he comes home this afternoon...and I wanna try and catch the little black kitten so it'll have some companionship...and then we'll see if we can adopt them out...they are so cute..and fuzzy w/ their winter coats and all...the black kitty is so outgoing and isn't afraid of much..the white one is very shy and cautious...kittens are the best...
More tearing down of the garden, Brian dug out a lot of the grass that had grown in during our extremely wet summer, and we've removed the metal fencing so we can access areas and till up other parts of the garden...I relocated some Gregg's Mist and removed some stepping stones so we can till up more of this grass...geez, this stuff gets everywhere...I hope we can control it better this year...Time to mulch the plants I've already hacked down, its in the 20's at times, which can't be good for the plants, I don't think...
Brian caught one of the two kittens that's been growing up on our front porch...the dog had cornered the white kitten up a pole, and it let Brian bring it inside...the calico mom and black sibling are still on the porch, playing, eating and probably looking for their sister...we aren't sure if its a 'he' or 'she' but Brian said its coat feels like velvet...I'll get pics and we'll see if we can get homes for these two little ones...maybe even the mom as well...we've had enough of strays for awhile...
Oh you'll get caught...I love watching Dateline's To Catch A Predator series with Chris Hansen...that guy rules! Idiot people drive hours (last night one dude drove 5 1/2 hours) to meet with a 13yr old girl they met online, and then Chris Hansen walks out and smacks the dude...its brilliant...I've not seen all the shows, I don't seek it out, I tend to watch it if I'm channel surfing, but man, I always crack up and the stupidity of these people...the dude who drove 5 1/2 hours last night (from Indiana to Kentucky) showed up w/ a loaded gun and handcuffs (he had been on a local police force for a month before being kicked off - cause he is an idiot!)...They tazed him and he screamed like a little girl...Chris Hansen should have his own series like John Walsh from America's Most Wanted...
No Sweeney today...no soundtrack, no movie, I'm taking a Sweeney break...but, the songs ARE going thru my head - just an indication that I've overdosed and need to take a step back...its like an echo, if I can still hear it w/out it being played, then I've absorbed as much as I can...
Cat boxes, dog walking, garage bins dragged around, vacuuming, bed making, looks like I'm back to my regular work day! I made a few beads late yesterday, some dots and like them...they are bright and colorful, if you like black with your dots...and I do...I'm gonna make more today so I have a whole fistful...they are the kinds of beads you can make lots of and enjoy...
I am going to be offering new beads for order in January...early January...not sure what date yet, but I'll post something here when I know...hope you have some left over Christmas cash lying around...
its 45 out, but sunny and feels great...more like its 60...am I getting used to the cold(er) weather? (lets face it, 45 isn't cold now, is it?)...I dunno, maybe its not as humid today so it feels better...those cold humid days make everything miserable...I feel rather good today, tho...I love the winter, it takes the relief out of the summer heat...
We took down a lot of the garden on Monday...it looks shaggy and bare...I think we're gonna work on it more this weekend, there's grass that needs to be removed, and I'd like to put a thick carpet of mulch on everything to sleep thru Jan/Feb when it gets much colder...I forgot that I threw all sorts of wildflower seeds out there last year, i have no idea if any of them stuck, but we'll find out in March/April...i'm lookin' forward to being surprised...
I can't really explain it, but I've really fallen for the Sweeney Todd soundtrack...we caught another showing yesterday afternoon and it was a hoot...the two girls sitting next to me nearly came out of their seats when Sweeney would wield his razor...the theatre was sold out, and I've been listening to the songs most of the day today...I just love the odd notes, the music is so well written and the lyrics are so witty, I'm impressed...I don't get to see Broadway shows (like, never) so I never got to see the original or revival...but I'll always have the soundtrack and the DVD when it comes out...If you haven't seen it, you should...I want to see "There Will Be Blood" too, it looks wonderful, if only a little filthy (its about drilling for oil in the 1800's)...
I made some beads the other day and they've been ignored on their mandrels until today...I wasn't happy with them at all, but after cleaning them up, I added some large crystals (8mm bicones and cubes) and they look great...go figure...
After playing some Guitar Hero yesterday, I could feel an inflammation going right up my left arm, into my shoulder and between my shoulder blades...ugh...I need practice! the songs are fun to play along with, "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls, "Shakin" by Eddie Money and others...its a rather fun game, really...
Alrighty then, time to get back to the torch and see what I can concoct...something with dots, i think...we'll see...
Santa brought me Guitar Hero with my very own fancy schmancy guitar for the game...we've been playing the 80's version of the game and laughing at how bad we are...but its fun...
Harry Potter Scene It?, Dr. Katz complete collection, Harry Potter 5 DVD, and an ipod speaker/radio/remot combo so when I'm working I can switch off any songs that I don't like to hear...ha! my 100 yr old jam box will be put out of it's misery...
Did you enjoy your Christmas? Did you get what you expected? Hurray!
I'll be around, but not on the computer much the next couple of days, so I hope you have a great holiday season...
I hope you get all the electronic gadgets, video games, iPods and cameras you asked for...and that you can get them all to plug in and play right away...I used to do Customer Service at Christmastime for a computer game company, and it was always 'interesting' at this time of year...
We're still listening to the Sweeney Todd soundtrack and are going back to see it again tomorrow afternoon (I expect my video games won't plug in and play, so we might as well go see a movie)...I might know all the words by the time we get there tomorrow...a sing along!
I hear from folks all the time who are struggling to make it in the bead world...I think the answers are all here - for not only beads, but anything you wish to pursue...Edison knew a thing or two about persistance...
Sweeney Todd! I've been waiting for this movie since the summer...we just got back from seeing it and I LOVED IT!! while watching it, I was thinking 'I need to come back and see it during a matinee next week'...I'm ready to go back...Brian loved it too...we ran over to Best Buy and found the ONLY copy of the soundtrack with lyric booklet the store had on stock...it was buried in the soundtrack section...I'm playing it right now...fan-freakin'-tastic!!! Johnny Depp is smooth, Alan Rickman is oily, even Helena B-C does a nice job as Mrs. Lovett...wonderful! Its a muscial, very little dialog, its all sung, so you must be ready for that, but still, its well worth it...please go see it!!
We hauled this DVD out last night and played it...Mr. Mackey and his Silver Bells song is great, the whole television special is brilliant, actually...if you like South Park, and I've been a big fan since the beginning...I could post the Spirit of Christmas, the one that started it all, but that is majorly offensive and while hilarious, not exactly what I should be posting here...but if you want to see it, I'm sure you can find it in a quick manner...
We are venturing out into the Land of Masses on this, the last weekend before Christmas...Sweeney Todd is showing at 12:30 and Alamo Drafthouse is offering 3 versions of 'meat pies' on their special menu...Rabbit, Bison or Duck...which one should I choose? i'm thinking Bison...I'm hearing GREAT things about the movie, I'm ready!
It was 75 here yesterday, sunny and gorgeous...no ice, no snow..that'll come in February, if at all...I've seen 80 degree days in Feb, but those years we had massive droughts in the summer, so I'll take 40 degree Feb days, please...
The cats are wound up, Clementine helped me make the bed by attacking all the lumps and wrinkles in the sheets...they can't get under the tree to drink out of the tree stand because we've blocked it with presents...which makes them fidgety (its not like we don't have plenty of other water bowls in the house, they just like to drink out of unusual places)...I hope they settle down before they break something...
I've been at the torch, but unhappy with what i've been making...I've been trying a large-scaled bead design in a small size and its not going well...plus the beads take forever because the dots are layered...over 50 dots at last count...I've got maybe 8 of them but I'm gonna move onto a new design..I know when to walk away and start over...I'll have beads for offer after Christmas, so I hope ya'll save some pennies to treat yourself after the holiday...don't be a Scrooge!
I knew I shoulda bought that used Wii I spotted at the local pawn shop...d'oh!
I dunno if you've ever heard Peter Griffin sing this version of Hark! Hear the Bells, but every time I heard the TransSiberianOrchestra's version of it, all I can think about is Peter and his rendition...so, to bug the heck out of ya'll, i am posting it here for you to enjoy...or not enjoy...maybe it'll melt your brain...and isn't it time to unplug and relax about now? You aren't REALLY going out to shop this weekend, ARE YOU? Seriously? Are you insane? I just got back from Target and the parking lot was packed, although it was one of those Super Target's and so big inside that it didn't seem packed..everyone was spread out in the store and I could come and go pretty easily...I hope you have a safe weekend, don't get any DINGs in your car and don't eat any FRIES...
Yesterday afternoon we tripped into Austin to visit the local big-daddy of all holiday bazaars, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar...its been going on for years and has live local musicians playing music while you stroll and enjoy the artwork...artists from all over come in to town and spend 2 weeks selling...I've heard from folks who run the thing that some of the artists make their entire yearly income from the 2 week run of the show...(in the 100K range for some of them)...we didn't buy a thing, tho...scrooges!
Afterward we headed over to Alamo Drafthouse and caught "No Country For Old Men"...its set in West Texas and has lots of Texas actors in it...we enjoyed it quite a bit, its one of those movies that is intense and scary, so recommending it is kinda weird - "yes, its great, but if you go, don't freak out"...Not exactly a funny Coen bros movie like Raising Arizona, but still I liked it...
I'm also looking forward to Sweeney Todd which comes out Friday, I think...It was supposed to be Christmas Day, but I think they wanted to grab the weekend, and who can blame them? I was surfing and ran across a special on the Logo channel the other night that showcased the making-of...It looks great...course, I'm going in with low expectations because when I get excited about a movie, i come out disappointed...Bourne Ultimatum did that to me this summer, I loved the first two and was kinda let down with this last one...it was good, I recommend it, but I liked the first two better...oh well...We'll see how Sweeney does...I'm going to see it anyway...
My friend Donna sent me this link yesterday and I love this kind of art work...optical illusions painted on the ground to look like things are falling into the street or busting up outta the ground...awesome!
Sock Wars! Those knitters out there - they are deadly with their wit!
Having trouble finding the webpage you were looking for? This webserver is depressed trying to locate it for you...
Similar to the Darwin awards, these criminals are so stupid, they'll probably be on the Darwin list next year...
I like pop culture a LOT, but I did terrible on this quiz...and I'm ok with that...maybe I'm not dumbed-down from too much television after all...
Christmas seems to be taking forever to get here..its still another week away...and yet, it seems to be coming down the tracks fast - its only a week away!
I feel like just playing at the torch today...my mind is blank, and I just want to see what happens...
The dog and I went for a drive in the truck...its a nice morning, and she loves to go for rides...we saw trains and longhorn cattle, and out in the country the fields have been plowed and the large birds of prey are out looking for field mice..they are beautiful! I don't recognize the birds, but its still thrilling to see them...
I just heard that quote in a Cary Grant movie and seems pretty timeless...
I had to spend the morning in Austin doing the proverbial 'errands' and you can sense the panic in the air...people around me searching for gifts, not liking what they saw, not wanting to spend so much...I hope they find what they're looking for, whatever it is that makes them happy...
I was sorry to hear that Dan Fogelberg died yesterday...I remember his song 'Longer' was popular when I was in high school and our English class had to bring in the lyrics to a popular song and explain them...every 3rd kid used that song, until finally our teacher said you had to pick another song...I don't remember which song I chose, but I know it was something else...
I caught this video the other day and had to chuckle...someone put together all the clips of how Santa disses everyone (even the elf song!) in the Rudolph special...I noticed this as an adult years ago (never as a kid, tho) and even tho he can be a pain, I still love this special more than anything (Charlie Brown and his tree is right up there too)...
We have ice in the bird baths, and I think our plants will be curling up their leaves soon...I'd rather have cold weather for Christmas than hot, tho...but I will leave the snow to ya'll, I'm not into shoveling...boo...
I have to admit, I find this very funny - one of my bracelets on Etsy is on it's last day...there is a 4 month window of opportunity to sell your wares, and after 4 months, I guess if your piece doesn't sell, its punted off the site...I listed a bracelet on Aug 16 and today is its 4 month due date...tick tick, Scully, time's up and it'll fall into the Land of the Lost sometime later today...I must admit, if it hasn't sold in 4 months, I think it deserves to fall into the Land of the Lost...ha!
Looks like a good football day...I see lotsa snow in New England...sweet!!
I finally made it upstairs to do some purging of junk...papers, Sundance catalogs, broken things, stuff that was just unpacked from boxes, set on tables and never looked at again...it was time to look at it...(the house downstairs is in good shape, and its too windy to work in the yard, so upstairs is the 3rd choice..heh)...I've found all sorts of interesting stuff I had forgotten about, old jewelry from a gazillion years ago, my first beads, my sample beads from all the classes I've taken over the years, a bag of small dichro chips I had forgotten about, felted bowls that were stuffed with junk, jars of bad beads, boxes of forgotten rings and beads, do you see a theme?
But its been good...Brian hooked up the DVR/DVD player that we disconnected from the spare bedroom over 6 months ago...there are shows on the DVR that I recorded LAST Christmas...pretty hilarious...there's still lots to do, mostly I need some kinda IKEA storage solution, I just need to decide what I want and when I get in that store, it can be like fighting thru a jungle of people and stuff...a true obstacle course of a store if there ever was one...I should peruse the catalog and shop that way...or go early in the morning when no one is there...Weekends at 3:00pm - not a good idea! They have good chocolate, tho...
The Bead and Button class catalog arrived in the mail today...the classes look much more interesting to me this year than last, so I might just sign up for a few...I really enjoy attending, but wasn't too bummed about missing out last year...we'll see if I go this year, I haven't decided what I want to do...
Looks like its time for a dinner break...
If you've bought anything recently, I just put them in the mail today...you should see them for Christmas, I would hope...lets hope...I'm gonna hope...
Its dreary out, the kiln is clicking away furiously and I'm heading downstairs to see what I can melt and squish...
Hope you're having a nice Holiday season...the non-stop Christmas Carols on the radio are getting a little thin...I think I need some relief from Grandma getting Run Over by the Reindeer...ugh...
Oh man, my $3.85 million bid was outbid! I was sniped!!
I think I need a box of these to dress up all the girl cats in the house...I'm sure they would last all of about 2 seconds, if I could even get them to stay on their head...Clementine in a nice blue wig, Amelie in a silver...people are weird...
If you haven't poked around lately, I've been posting stuff on Etsy here and there...and sometimes I post stuff here just for old times sake...apparently PayPal has changed the look of their 'buy now' buttons...I need to stay up to date!
At least today the sun is out and there's no rain...its still as cold, but it doesn't feel like it...have you ever seen people who snow ski in their shorts? its kinda like that...even if its 20 out, as long as the sun is shining, its just easier to be outside...
What's amazing to me right now are my roses are going crazy in this cold weather...they are blooming and growing and having a ball...they look so pretty right now...the B.R. Cant has completely gone bonkers, its grown in every direction and has 20 or more blooms all over it...its like its exploded!
I snuck out this morning before the door froze shut and snapped photos of some new bracelets...am beginning the posting process shortly...
Its one of those cold, icky days where all the cats and dog are restless and want to be entertained...normally the dog would be in the back yard, but its just not nice enough, so she keeps asking me for something to do...and Bette Davis is using my leg as a scratching post...her baby orange kitty has been named Ivan and is fitting in nicely in his new home...the calico and kittens are still on the porch, I still feed them, and there are now 2 warm snuggly cat beds for them because they outgrew the single bed...
I hope ya'll who live in the Ice Storm 2007 are making the best of it...chances are you aren't reading this because your power is out and you are staying warm next to a fire, but I'm still wishing you the best...stay safe and warm and dry...I hear Florida is warm and sunny this time of year...
4:30...rats, I've run out of good daylight for the pics...I'll shoot them tomorrow, assuming its not raining, which it might be...I'll figure something out, tho...its that time of year, unpredictible weather/sun/rain/temps...booyah...
I've got a few things to post later today...it won't be for awhile, tho, I have to get some chores completed first...some hints - "squeeze" and "dots"...that's all you have to go on...see ya'll this afternoon...
I'm pretty sure the butterflies are huddled around an open fire trying to keep warm right about now...if they were smart, they would be heading South...but that's the thing, its like they hide out somewhere on the cold rainy days and then show up on the sunny warm ones...good luck, little butterflies...
its funny, when the house is warm, the cats are jupming all over, making noise and standing on my head while I try to sleep..when it gets cold in the house, they all snuggle down quietly and its like i'm in a ghost town...even now, they are awake, but they aren't moving...gotta save that body heat...I guess I might turn the heater on, but its not THAT cold to really need it...
only 14 days left to shop for Christmas! we are officially in the 'double digits' (its the 10th) and it is always a quick slide to the 25th from here...yeehaw...!
We were busy running around...we hit Austin to do some Christmas shopping and we both agreed - no malls! So we visited a local art co-op called Blue Genie and found some fun locally grown things...i ran into Lisa Crowder who i haven't seen in ages, she makes really wonderful sterling silver jewelry (her name is on my Links page if you want to go see), and we caught up with our lives...we were going to hit the 'big mama' of local art establishments, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, but we decided - bleh...as it turns out, that was the right idea (its downtown and a bit of a hassle to get to)- because it doesn't start until next week (Dec 14)...ha!
I took the Vampyr out for the spin today, rinsed her down and cleaned her up nicely...it was such a nice day to ride, low 80's, clouds, cool breezes...but I hear that the Winter Warlock is coming back for a short visit this week...no more Mr. Heat Miser...I wonder where the butterflies will go...our house was bombarded with ladybugs last week, an outbreak late in the year had them flying all over...in fact, i found a stray on the sofa tonight...at first we thought the bees were going crazy, but they were too small...and then we saw lots of orange dots crawling on the house..there musta been a few hundred...it was really weird...that was last weekend...this weekend there were maybe 6 out there today...but the rest of the bees/butterflies are still showing up...a pipevine swallowtail has been visiting the past 3 days...and the zebras are still going strong...two Queens have been flitting around as well (insert joke here)...
There's nothing new and exciting to share...I'm sure you are tired of my weather updates, but I will say that its 70 and humid as heck here...its supposed to be 82 and 84 today and tomorrow...Austrialian, indeed...
No one bothered us on our dog walk this morning...because the only folks who were out were not near enough to bother us...I prefer it that way...
I never did make it into Austin for sushi...big surprise there...hermit lives in hermitville...I did make some funky dot squeeze beads yesterday and will be making more today...
and there you have it...Hope your Christmas shopping is going well...i have a list, but haven't started...I wonder if the hermit will get out of her house this year...mail order is sounding really good right now...ha...
I've taken over the responsibility of walking our dog 2x a day...she's not very dog-friendly and the Country Folk like to let their dogs run wild, so its a bit of a gamble on me getitng thru a walk alive...I've seen Lady bite the muzzle of a Rhodesian Ridgeback and was just lucky that the dog and the owner were pretty laid back...She needs to be socialized w/ other dogs, but then what? How do I keep her socialized when I don't want to get more dogs just to keep her friendly (btw, she dearly LOVES people, she just hates other dogs)...So, in the few times I've been out walking her, I've had a drunk dude in a pickup pull up and say 'howdy, nice dog' (he was friendly, not scary, it was light outside and I didn't feel threatened), and then there was a neighbor who recently moved and has two Rottweilers, who was completely convinced that Lady is part Rottweiler (she's a Doberman mix - fat, but not a Rottweiler)...
He didn't want to stop talking, I had to listen to his life history while he stood by his Dually truck and his kid unloaded the cabin from a hunting trip...and then just this morning on our walk, one of the railroad workers had to come over and ask about the dog, how old she was, what her name is, blah blah...Lady was so happy to meet someone new, she attached her face to his thigh, waiting for lotsa pets...thank goodness he had WORK to do, so he left us alone pretty quickly...I've never felt scared of threatened by any of these dudes - for one thing there were other folks around and none of them seemed scary, but I definitely don't tell them where I live and I don't tell them my name...and there are plenty of homes out here that would hear me if I yelled or made noise...its just one of those weird things that seems to happen to me, and probably other girls who walk their dogs...I also think dudes like BIG dogs, if I was walking a Pomeranian, I betcha they wouldn't say a word...
Bette Davis has made it very clear that she does not like going outside...even on sunny, 70 degree days...no way, no how...I've put her outside numerous times and she zips back in the house...I'm not sure what it is, exactly...most cats I know dearly love exploring the great outdoors anytime...not her...she's found a nice little nook upstairs where the sun comes thru the window and she pulls up a box and naps all afternoon...she stays upstairs most of the day because she doesn't like any of the other kitties in the house..unlike her sister Chloe, who gets along with everyone, Bette Hates All...so, while i'm upstairs working, she couldn't be happier...she really likes me and makes biscuits on my legs with her very sharp claws...she won't let me pick her up or put her on my lap, that's too scary...and about 90% of the time, her tongue is hanging out the front of her mouth...she's pretty funny, but come Spring, when its warmer, I think she'll need to take up residence outside...unless I can find a permanent home for her in the meantime...Christmas Kitten, anyone?
One of the biggest drawbacks to living in the stix is the lack of good restaurants nearby...a few are really good, but unless you like Mexican food, Mexican food and, uh, Mexican food, you're kinda outta luck...I feel guilty driving into Austin just for lunch, but I have been craving sushi for weeks...weeks, even! So, I think today would be a good day to indulge...such an exciting life I lead!
I've been 'tagged' a couple of times now with the 'list' thing - you've probably seen them - "Name your top 5 favorite vacation destinations", "What are your favorite books", "What superpowers would you like", etc. etc...I never got around to answering them cause I just forgot, but I'll do it today...
Angie tagged me with the '3 things I couldn't live without' -
1. I like my car...i'd have a hard time w/out having a car, although I drive it very little...but I enjoy having a nice car that I am proud of...i even looked up personalized license plates for it and "Vampir" and "Vmpire" are both available (as is 'donner')...Which one should I choose? (I was leaning toward 'donner' so I can use it on any car I might own)...
2. Animals...I enjoy having animals around..I always have had dogs or cats or hamsters/guinea pigs around me...I like that they are unconditional, they have various personalities which crack me up, and they are pretty easy to take care of...I can't imagine not having at least 1 cat, dog or something fuzzy in my life...birds, fish, snakes (even tarantulas, which I had two) are all good, but I like fuzzy, squeezy kinds of animals...
3. A creative outlet...that sounds weird, i suppose, but all my life I've had some means of being creative...drawing (which I'm not great at, but cartoons I'm fairly good at), calligraphy, painting, sewing, stitching, silversmithing, beading, torching, mehndi, knitting, and various other things I've done throughout my life...I have to do things with my hands...reading is great, but I need to make things...paper plate bean shakers...macaroni art...glittered pinecones...it doesn't matter, I have to have some means to let this stuff out...
there ya go...kinda weird answers I guess, but its what I can't live without...If I was picked up and dropped on the other side of the world, I'd want these things to make me feel like 'me'...and there you go...
3:00pm...I've finished posting for today...some are on Etsy, some are on my own site, due to me going thru 3 write-ups and my computer would toss me outta Etsy and I'd lose all the description...so I posted those last 2 bracelets on my site here...Hope ya find something you like and as always, if you have any questions, just lemme know!
Why, why does it have to be 84 yesterday and 41 this morning? I need to go outside and shoot photos, but 41 is cold to be outside shooting photos...Oh sure, ya'll are in 13 degree weather, I get it...but, I bet you aren't outside shooting photos! ha...
I'm working up the courage to get out in the wind and get some photos shot...if it weren't windy, I'd be ok...I can handle 41 and sun...the wind has GOT to go...I see there's lotsa snow in other parts of the country...hurray for you guys!! White Christmas indeed...
The porch kittens (mama calico and the black, black/white kitten) were all snuggling together in the catbed I put out for them...even they are chilly...the kittens are getting so big...I need to shoot some shots of them...anyone want any cute kittens??? Will this never end???
1:20pm Yep, its exactly as I suspected...The frames are awesome, the lenses have no lines and look 'normal' but I cannot see at a distance with these new glasses...the close-up seems fine, but everything in the distance seems blurry...not just things I read, even vehicles and buildings are blurry...hmmm...I had to take them off, I was getting dizzy wearing them for about 15 minutes...I'll keep trying, tho...maybe things will settle in, and maybe i'll have to take them back for some help...I really didn't wanna give myself a headache, tho...
Today is the big day that I pick up my bifocals and try to wear them...I've heard so many stories from folks who go their bifocals and can't see with them...great...I don't expect much, i know it'll be looking thru the end of a Coke bottle, all wonky and weird...I've been wearing my reading glasses while at the torch and I've been doing ok remembering to look thru the glass for the upclose work, and then over the glass for the far away work...but I still get a little nauseous at times and have to take them off...I was told to be careful wearing the bifocals, like be sure to look thru the top when i walk down stairs, otherwise I'll trip and fall...oh, that's very helpful...I'm not looking forward to taking a header down the stairs...
The town Christmas parade was last night and it was charming...lots of fire engines and horses and about 8 Santa Clauses...one little girl was riding a donkey on her way to the Inn...It looked like the entire town came out for show...I love living in a small country town, there were kids running around w/ spurs on their boots...yes...you heard me...silver spurs jingling when she would run by..all her little brothers had their cowboy boots on too...The other day while in town, I saw two fellas (3:00 in the afternoon, mind you) riding their horses up Main Street...it was great...Ya don't see that kinda stuff in Austin, that's for sure...I'm sure the kids who grow up here probably are itching to move to the Big City, but those of us who have Been There, Done That are more than happy to move into the small town and enjoy the quiet life in the slow lane...we walked downtown to watch the parade and enjoy the art show, I mean how much more laid back and relaxed can ya get?
A few pics from the past Christmas...the cats are always a hoot under the tree, crunching the paper...last night we found Clementine was pulling the pine needles with her mouth, on the lowest branch of our tree...she's such a nut case...
I've had a great few days make beads, stringing beads, unstringing beads, playing with beads...I'm always always always surprised when I can find strands to put together from beads that were made days apart from one another, and with no intention of being used together...and yet, somehow they all come together...well, not all of them, but some of them...
Its warm, but dark and ugly here today...perfect day for a parade, eh? Riiiiight...but at least it'll be warm...tomorrow its gonna be 80...we call it our 'Australian Christmas'...I'm glad to see some parts are getting snow, tho...I mean, you have to have a white Christmas, right? sledding, skating, snowball fighting...its no fun when you get a new bike and its warm enough outside to ride it...bah...you want fire places to crackle and wet boots tracking in snow...wet mittens layed out to dry on the hearth...That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown...